New Name, Old Games
by RyansDreamMaker
Summary: In a new city, living a new life, Bass meets a struggling young woman that might change everything.
1. Chapter 1

The florescent lights are giving him a headache and the place reeks of stale sweat, but at least the beer was cheap. Bass watches two middle aged guys finish up a game of pool as he finishes his third beer. He's nowhere near drunk, but it's enough to make the edges of his vision a little blurry. He likes it that way.

"Hey, give me another," he says to the bartender. A tall, broad guy with blonde hair. As he pushes the drink Bass' way, the man gives him a funny look.

"You new in town? I've never seen you before."

"Just moved in this morning." Bass takes a deep drink with the hopes that the bartender will get the hint that he isn't in the mood to chat.

"Cool. Well, I'm Jeremy."

"Bass." He shakes the man's hand, grudgingly, and goes back to his drink. Thankfully, the bartender gets the hint and walks away. He leaves Bass in peace for a while, refilling his drink once more before he bothers him again.

"Wow," he mutters under his breath, catching Bass' eye as he hurriedly looks away from the door. Judging by his tone and actions, the bartender certainly isn't impressed by what he sees. So Bass takes a look with the hopes that maybe this person's obvious flaws may help lift his spirits.

Shitty, yes. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

The sight does nothing to lift his spirits. Though it does serve as quite the distraction.

A young woman makes her way slowly to the bar and sits down two stools away from him. At first glance she's nothing special. Worn out jeans and an oversized hoodie, dirty sneakers and her blonde hair piled high in a messy bun. Her body is hidden beneath a layer of oversized clothes and her face is hidden under a layer of thick makeup. Bass might think it was funny if it weren't for the unmistakable bruise blooming on her left cheek.

Despite his earlier dislike for the man, though it was nothing personal, Bass' respect for Jeremy flies through the roof when he approaches the woman slowly and politely asks what she would like. Her answer surprises them both.

"Whiskey. Neat." Her voice is quiet, almost tentative, and her eyes never quite land on Jeremy's face.

"Coming right up," he says, sounding more enthusiastic than Bass had heard him all night. He sets the drink down in front of her and they both watch her down the glass in one with barely even a twitch. Jeremy catches his eye again and they both silently agree that there's more to this woman than they thought.

"How 'bout another?" Jeremy asks. Because honestly, this girl looks like she needs it. She doesn't say anything, she simply nods, but that bruise speaks volumes. The bartender refills her glass and gives her a kind smile. "Let me know if you need anything else."

The woman nods and takes a small sip from the glass, cradling it in her hands and staring into the bottom of it as if it holds all of the answers to the universe. Bass watches her. It might be interpreted as creepy by some people, but he's had just enough to drink that he doesn't care. Whether or not she even notices his existence is unclear. She nurses her drink for twenty minutes before summoning Jeremy for a refill and then goes back to her drink gazing.

He studies her. It takes his mind off of his own problems.

She's young, early twenties, no way she's more than than twenty-five. But she's married. There's a substantial amount of diamonds decorating that ring on her finger. Enough to make him question why she's dressed like a bum. Then there's the bruise. It's covered pretty well by all that makeup, but he can see where the black and blue is the deepest. The fist shaped bruise rests just above her jaw. He wonders if whoever gave her that fancy ring is the one that put it there.

Her third glass is almost empty when his curiosity finally gets the best of him.

"You know if you need a refill, all you gotta do is ask." He calls down to her. She turns her head to look at him, casting her face in some brighter light that makes her bruise look even worse, and smirks, of all things.

"Gee, thanks."

She turns back to her drink dismissively, causing a real, genuine smile to break out across his face. He'd been expecting shy, but snarky is a wonderful surprise. Bass hops down from his stool and slides in next to her, watching her face go from slightly annoyed to uncomfortable. He backs up a bit and gives her a friendly smile.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be a dick, I was just trying to make you smile."

She huffs, her lips curling up at the corners just a little bit. It makes him feel a little better. Maybe cheering her up will cheer him up as well.

"Let me get the next one," he says.

"Thanks, but..." She gives a little shake of her head, as if she's reminding herself of something. "I'm not interested."

Bass frowns and then mentally slaps himself for not realizing that she thinks he's hitting on her. "Relax. It's just a drink, not a marriage proposal. No strings attached."

Her brows furrow in confusion, the effect admittedly one of the cutest things he's ever seen, and she leans back in her chair to get a better look at him. "I'm not having sex with you," she says bluntly.

He barks out a laugh. He likes this girl, she's spunky. "Deal." He says, grinning from ear to ear as he flags down the bartender for another refill. He waits until she's taking another sip, suddenly unable to control his childish instincts, and says, "so not even a blow job?"

She chokes on the whiskey, her eyes going wide. "Excuse me?"

But the words are barely out of her mouth before Bass is laughing so hard it hurts. The look on her face makes it totally worth it. "I was joking," he clarifies once he's got himself under control again.

She glares at him out of the corner of her eye, but he can see the smile twitching at her lips.

"Oh, come on," he begs shamelessly. "It was funny and you know it." She tries to hold it back but the smile blossoms on her face like the sun on a rainy day. "See?" He teases. "That wasn't so bad." She rolls her eyes at him, but the effect is ruined by her continuing to smile.

"Now this is the part where you thank me and introduce yourself," he tells her in a bossy voice.

She raises her eyebrows at him challengingly. "Oh, is it. I didn't know."

"Yeah. So you say, 'thanks, I'm - whatever your name is-' and then I say, 'you're welcome.'"

She lets out a low chuckle and shakes her head, her eyes flitting over to the door for just a moment before she looks back at him. "Thank you for the drink. I'm Annie."

Something about the way she says it, or maybe it's the way she was looking at the door, tells him that that isn't right.

"You're very welcome. But your name isn't Annie, is it?" He asks in a quiet voice.

She inhales sharply and rubs her bruised cheek self consciously, checking the door as if she's afraid of who might come through it. "I'm sorry," she whispers. "I can't- if he-" Her blue eyes are full of apologies. One's that he's sure she doesn't even owe.

"It's OK." He tells her gently. "I don't know and I don't need to know, unless you want me to." He clarifies. This woman obviously needs help and if he can give it to her, he will.

She takes a deep breath, nodding thankfully and downing the rest of her drink with shaky hands. It's terrible to watch. Whatever, or whoever, 'Annie' is so afraid of must be awful to have her so under their thumb. He doesn't like them already.

"I'm Bass by the way."

She gives him a small smile with something like wonder in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispers. And he suspects she isn't just talking about the drink.

"Anytime."

They sit in comfortable silence for a little while before she checks the time on her phone.

"I have to get home. I don't want my husband to worry."

The way she says the word 'husband' says it all. But there's nothing he can do for her. He doesn't even know her real name.

"I'll get you cab." He offers. Because it's the best he can do.

She hesitates on the sidewalk for a moment as he holds open the yellow cab's door for her.

"Thank you," she says again, her eyes boring into his own. He feels a tug at his heart, like she's trying to pull him in with her.

"Like I said, anytime." As she climbs into the cab he adds, "who knows, maybe I'll see you again and you can return the favor."

'Annie' smiles, her perfect teeth shining in the moonlight. "I hope so," she says.

As the cab pulls away from the curb, Bass murmers to himself, "me too."

* * *

A/N I can't decide if this is going to be a one-shot or not. I have the rest of the story in my head but I think it kind of works just like this. I guess you guys can let me know what you want. Lol. 'Annie' is Charlie by the way, in case that wasn't obvious. ;-)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Honestly, I should have known better than to ask whether or not you guys wanted more. You Charloe shippers are awful greedy (myself included). :-) Anyway, hope you guys like this.

* * *

It's nearly midnight when Bass finally stumbles in from work, nearly slipping on the manilla envelope that had been pushed beneath his door. He scoops it up and flicks on the light, dumping his keys on the counter before sinking into the sagging armchair that the furnished apartment came with. The front of the envelope has the familiar, untidy scrawl of his best friend on it.

 _TO SEBASTIAN MILLER_

Bass huffs at the stupid name, but of course, the change had been necessary after the incident. That very mention of it sends his tired mind sprawling into the darkness, so he shakes it away and tears the envelope open. Inside there's a new birth certificate, passport, drivers license, and social security card. All with the name Miller on them.

Tossing the papers on the crowded coffee table, he reaches into one of the many boxes littering the small living room floor. He's determined to unpack at least one box before bed. Hopefully he'll finish unpacking all of this junk someday. He'd never realized how much crap he had until it was time to fit it all into boxes.

An old baseball glove, a picture of his parents, his favorite book _Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era_ by James M. McPherson, and other odds and ends. He finds the framed picture of the day he and Miles had graduated from the police academy and sets it aside with a heavy heart. A newspaper clipping lies facedown in the bottom of the box, though he doesn't need to flip it over to know what it is. He snatches it up and shoves it back between the pages of his book before he can make the mistake of looking at it, again.

The only thing that would accomplish is making him feel like shit. Again.

He kicks off his shoes on his way to the bedroom and loses his pants just outside the door before dropping onto the bed. It doesn't matter if the place is mess. He's the only one here to see it. Rolling over onto his side, Bass tries to get comfy and closes his eyes. Unfortunately, sleep doesn't come easy for him. Not anymore, not since the incident. He tries to think of something, anything pleasant that might help him sleep, but finds his mind occupied with the woman at the bar.

It's been a week since he met 'Annie' and if he's completely honest, he's thought about her everyday. Those blue eyes full of hurt and sadness, but somehow full of hope. He's considered tracking her down, it probably wouldn't be too hard - he had been a cop after all, but something holds him back. She'd said that she hoped they would see each other again and maybe, just maybe, he's waiting to see if they do. Maybe he'll see her at the bar again, or maybe that's stupid. Getting involved with a married woman, whether happily or not, is a bad idea.

Bass growls at himself for even thinking it and rolls over to his other side. It's not like he wants to sleep with her, anyway. He just wants to help her. Being a cop for nearly twenty years tends to cause that. But maybe he doesn't even want to help her. Maybe he just wants someone to talk to that won't give him weird looks because they know what happened. A friend.

Maybe he's just rationalizing.

He huffs and punches his pillow into a more comfortable shape, closing his eyes with the hopes that maybe he can sleep. His dreams are meandering tales of sad, blue eyes and brilliant smiles with random gunshots in between. Bass wakes with a start early in the morning with sweat beaded on his brow and children's screams echoing in his mind.

* * *

"Hey, you listening to me kid? Hey, Miller!"

Bass shakes his head roughly and blinks the sleep from his eyes as he turns to look at the man sitting next to him.

"Yeah, I hear you Archie."

"Mhmm." The old man gives him a knowing look. "I told you that you needed to quit all that partying and get to bed on time. I can't be doin' all the work around here.

"I wasn't partying." Bass mutters, thinking of his fitful sleep the night before.

"Mhmm. Whatever you say, kid." Archie continues to lecture on the benefits of a good night's sleep, but Bass just tunes him out. This is the third night in row he's heard it, anyway. Plus, it's not like the old man takes his own advice. Give it ten more minutes and he'll surely be fast asleep.

The museum is already closed so there isn't much work to be done other than sit and watch the monitors of security feeds. It's dull work, but changing your identity makes it impossible to walk into the local police precinct and apply.

Sure enough, Archie starts to snore around 7:30. Bass suspects this is his usual bedtime. The old guy used to work the day shift, but the supervisor switched him to the evening shift, three to eleven, because he needed someone to 'train' Bass.

Some training.

All of the camara feeds are still except for the exterior ones. Just average Chicago citizens hurrying home after a long day. Nothing interesting to report.

His phone buzzes in his pocket and he doesn't even hesitate to answer it, knowing full well that Archie will sleep until the night shift guys come to relieve them. The number on the screen is familiar, it just hasn't been programmed into his new phone yet, he's dialed it from memory too many times to count.

"Hey, Miles."

" _Hey, did you get my letter?"_

Bass thinks of the manilla envelope that's still on the coffee table at home and nods even though Miles can't see him. "Yeah, I got it. Thanks, brother."

Miles sighs and Bass can hear the lecture coming before it even starts. _"You know you don't have to do this Bass. You could just come home."_

They've argued about this very thing at least a hundred times over the past month and it's gotten them nowhere every time.

"I know you think it would be that easy Miles, but it wouldn't. Not for me."

His best friend sighs again. _"I'm sorry. We miss you, that's all."_

"Who, you and Dickhead?" He asks with a laugh.

" _No, not the damned goldfish you idiot. I was talking about me and Nora."_

"Oh. Well tell Nora I miss her too." Bass says softly.

And he does. He misses Miles, Nora, Will, and Alex. Hell, he even misses the damn fish.

"Tell Dickhead I said hey." He adds into the heavy silence.

It's a testament to their friendship that Miles doesn't even make a joke. _"I will. Just... at least consider it. Coming home, I mean."_

"I'll think about it," Bass promises, though he has no intention of doing so.

When the night shift guys come in to switch places, Archie jerks awake and shoves his glasses back on his face. "Come on kid," he says, punching Bass on the arm. "What did I tell you about sleeping on the job?"

All Bass can do is laugh and shake his head. "My bad, Archie. Won't happen again."

"Damn straight," the old man mutters, making his way slowly out of the room, much to the night shift's amusement.

* * *

When Saturday finally rolls around, Bass can't seem to get himself motivated enough to move. He's spent the entire day lazing around the house and still has no desire to do a single thing. He glances at the moving boxes still piled around the living room but grabs the TV remote instead. There's nothing on worth watching though. He flips through the channels and settles on some insane reality show where one woman is apparently dating twenty different guys. It gets a laugh out of him if nothing else.

He gets up to grab a drink from the refrigerator during the commercials. The TV is easily seen from the fridge across the small room and he cringes when one of his least favorite people on the planet pops up on the screen.

" _Tom Neville Insurance Agency. Call me, because I care."_

"Yeah, about yourself," Bass grumbles. He doesn't know the man personally, of course. But Tom Neville has certainly made a name for himself by being a major asshole. He'd heard rumors of corruption cases floating around Chicago PD, but nothing ever stuck.

The commercial is enough to put him off of watching the rest of the show and finding out who the blonde chick will choose to live happily ever after with. The woman's face flashes on the screen before he hits the power button and he finds himself thinking of 'Annie' again. It's Saturday night, but not too late that she wouldn't still be out. Maybe if he goes to the bar he'll see her again. The thought is enough to get him off his ass and into some pants.

The bar is a little more crowded than it had been last time, but unfortunately the girl he's looking for is nowhere in sight. Sure there are a couple blondes, but they don't have her blue eyes or her dazzling smile. The disappointment he feels at her absence is strange but he shrugs it off, trying to convince himself that he just regrets not being able to help her.

"Hey I remember you!" The blonde bartender says with a smile. "Bass, right?"

"Yeah, can I get a beer?" Jeremy grins as he passes him his drink and Bass can tell that the other man wants to say something.

"Didn't you talk to that girl a while back? You know, the one with the..." Jeremy trails off, gesturing to his own cheek. "The bruise."

"Yeah, I talked to her for a little while."

"Did she tell you what happened?"

Bass raises an eyebrow at him, not sure if he likes all of the questions he's asking.

"Oh, I'm not trying to be rude," Jeremy says hurriedly. "I just hate to see a lady treated like that, you know?"

"I hear you, but she didn't tell me anything. I got the feeling she didn't want to talk about it."

Jeremy shakes his head sadly. "Shame. I don't understand how people can do that to someone they supposedly love. I certainly couldn't. Then again, if I tried, my girl would just beat my ass."

Bass laughs. "So is she tough or are you just a pussy?"

Jeremy rolls his eyes at him and stalks off to the other end of the bar in mock outrage. "Let me know if you need anything else," he yells. It's loud enough that people turn to stare but Bass doesn't care. For the first time in months, he's actually kind of enjoying himself.

They chat on and off as the night wears on and the crowd thins. Around one, Bass decides that it's far past when 'Annie' might come in. Before he leaves, he asks Jeremy, "so the girl with the bruise, is she a regular? You seen her before?"

A smile flickers on Jeremy's lips but he shakes his head. "Nah, I had never seen her before until you were both here. Why, are you looking for her?"

"Why would I be looking for her?" Bass asks, suddenly feeling defensive.

Jeremy puts his hands up in mock surrender. "Whoa, relax. It was just a question." The knowing, little grin playing at Jeremy's lips irritates Bass and he grumbles to himself all the way to the door.

"I'm not looking for her," he tells the cool night air. He wonders if it believes him.


	3. Chapter 3

Another week goes by and Bass finds himself at a loss for what to do with himself. The most exciting thing he's done is carry the laundry from his fourth floor apartment to the laundry room on the ground floor. The kitchen counters have been piled high with containers from take-out restaurants for over a week and he hasn't made a single attempt to clean them up. If it weren't for the fact that he need clean clothes for work, he probably wouldn't bother with the laundry either. But he needs this job. Leaving behind Bass Monroe meant leaving behind all of Bass Monroe's money, and Bass Miller gets a crappy hourly wage.

Which is why he should stop eating so much take-out and buy some actual groceries. His poor wallet can't handle it and neither can his waistband. He's been ignoring the scale that he finally unpacked, afraid that it might tell him exactly what he doesn't want to hear. That he's a pudgy, middle-aged security guard.

A depressed, middle-aged security guard.

He's seen it before in a million other people. Friends, family, strangers he met on the job. He'd always thought they were just looking for attention, now he knows better. A new city, a new name, no friends, and a shitty job. It's the perfect recipe for his own personal disaster.

Miles calls every other day or so to check up on him, but it just isn't the same as hanging out and watching a game. He misses kicking his feet up on the coffee table with a beer in his hand. He even misses Nora scolding him like a child for doing it.

The bar has been his only salvation. He keeps finding himself there after work, chatting with Jeremy and even going so far as to play a game of pool with the other middle-aged guys that don't know what they're doing with their lives. He isn't sure whether or not 'Annie' plays a part in his continuing to go to that specific bar. As a man of pride, he likes to think that he isn't chasing after the ghost of a woman who's probably half his age, but it's obvious that Jeremy thinks otherwise. While the bartender hasn't mentioned her, Bass gets the feeling that he's waiting for her to show up and that he's wondering what will happen when she does.

Deep down, Bass is wondering too.

* * *

While Archie takes his evening nap, Bass watches the security feeds and eats the leftover casserole that Mrs. Archie sent for him. As irritating as Archie can be, Bass has to admit that he's a good guy. He probably went home and told his wife all about the poor, lonely guy that eats Fruit Roll-Ups for dinner and had her make something just for him. Regardless of how he got it, Bass eats the casserole without complaint. It's the first time he's eaten real food in over a month and his taste buds are happy to have it.

The security feeds are boring, as usual, though he does watch as a man applies a new poster to the bench at the bus stop across the street. It's too grainy to make it out on the screen, but he thinks it might be a blown up picture of someone's head.

He watches as people enjoy the summer evening. Small families making their way out of the park around the corner and young couples having dinner at the bistro down the street. It's all a pain to watch, though whether it's because of the jealousy or the boredom, he isn't sure.

As the sun sets it casts an orange glow around everything, making the outdoor cameras practically useless. The glare covers most of the feeds on the screen, but Bass watches through it even though he knows nothing will happen in the few minutes it takes for the sun to set. He can see bits and pieces around the edges and in the corners. A leg here or an arm there. Then he sees a small head of dark hair on the feed outside of the park, followed shortly by a woman whose blonde hair is golden in the sunlight.

Bass' breath catches in his throat. It couldn't be... It's been three weeks since he's seen her, but something in his gut is telling him to get on his feet. He leaves Archie snoring in his chair and takes off through the meandering halls of the museum to the back door where they load and unload the artwork. He barges through the emergency exit door and runs down to the end of the drive towards the street. There are a few people hanging around, but no little boys with dark hair and no blondes. He looks at the empty entrance to the park and shakes his head in disappointment as a red Range Rover pulls away from the curb nearby.

Wait a minute.

As the car rounds the corner, Bass spots the female driver, her blonde hair easily visible even after sunset.

"Annie," he breathes, watching the car dissappear behind a wall of buildings. Something inside him warms at having finally found her. The fact that she hadn't just been a figment of his imagination is extremely satisfying. Now if only he'd thought to get her license plate number.

He heads back inside and finds Archie right where he left him, only now there's a little drool dribbling from his lip. Bass tries to sit and be calm, but the excitement of finally finding her is too much for him to handle. He analyzes every second of it.

The boy, who is the boy that was with her? Well she is married, so it's entirely possible that the kid is her son. And that car. Range Rovers aren't cheap, so whoever's picking up the tab on that must be loaded.

Bass remembers seeing her wedding ring in the bar, all of the diamonds on it. Whoever 'Annie' is married to apparently values his money more than his wife. That on its own is a depressing thought.

When the night shift guys come in, Bass can't help but not feel tired. All he can think about it going to the bar and telling Jeremy that he finally found her. Which the bartender would just make fun of him for, of course. He decides to go to the bar anyway and just not tell him about seeing 'Annie.' On his way there, he passes the bus bench with the new poster on it and frowns at Tom Neville's face. The asshole is everywhere in this town.

It's just after midnight and it's only Thursday so the bar isn't crowded at all. The only people there are the guys just like him. The ones with no place else to go and nothing better to do. Jeremy grins at him the moment he walks through the door.

"What?" Bass asks, wondering if maybe he's got some of Mrs. Archie's casserole on his face.

"Ah, it's nothing."

Bass takes a seat at the bar and accepts the beer Jeremy pushes his way, the grin still firmly in place. "Seriously, what's up?"

The bartender bites his lip as if he's making a decision. "Why do you keep coming back here?" He finally asks.

"What do you mean? Am I not welcome here?" The idea hurts, but Bass shoves it aside. He's dealt with not being welcome before and this doesn't feel like that.

"No, no, of course you're welcome here. I just don't understand why you choose to come here."

Bass looks around at the old bar with its peeling paint and ugly vinyl stools. It smells pretty awful too. Actually, now that he's thinking about it, the only reason he's come back to this place at all is to find 'Annie.' But he can't tell Jeremy that.

"I like the... atmosphere," he says lamely.

"Right." Jeremy rolls his eyes at him, but perks up a little as he looks over Bass' shoulder to the door. "You're here for the _atmosphere_."

Bass frowns at the emphasis on the word and his frown deepens when Jeremy tilts his head towards the door. He turns to look at whatever has caught Jeremy's attention, his heart stopping in his chest when his eyes land on the same blue ones he's been dreaming of for weeks.

'Annie' is standing in the doorway of the bar looking directly at him.

There's a moment when their eyes meet that she starts to smile, a little dimple showing in her cheek, but then it disappears and she pushes the bar door open, hurrying out into the night.

"Hey, wait!"

Bass doesn't even stop to say goodbye to Jeremy or pay for the drink he never even got to sip. He rushes through the door and out onto the sidewalk, looking up and down the street for where she might have gone. Her long, blonde hair swings in a curtain as she disappears around the corner. Bass follows, running to catch up with her.

"Wait," he shouts. And he knows she can hear him when she speeds up, hurrying to get away from him. Luckily he's got longer legs than her. He catches her by the arm and yanks her to a stop.

"Just hang on a sec," he pants, clutching his chest.

She tears her arm from his grasp and backs away, cradling her wrist as if she's hurt. She stares at him, her eyes burrowing through to his soul. There are a million things he wants to say to her, he just can't decide which one to say first.

"Are you OK?" He finally asks, gesturing to her wrist which she's still holding onto.

She quickly drops it and nods her head. "I'm fine."

She stares at him again and Bass suddenly feels like he's back in the seventh grade trying to explain why he hasn't done his homework.

"I'm sorry I grabbed you. I just... I wanted to..." The words are all jumbling in his head so he shuts his mouth and thinks for a second. "I didn't think I would ever see you again," he finally says.

A smile twitches at the corner of her lips but falls almost instantly. "I'm sorry." She backs away from him, shaking her head. "I-I shouldn't be here."

"Wait, I just want to talk to you." Bass says, following her as she retreats backwards.

"I can't." She rasps out. "If anyone sees me..."

She turns on her heel and hurries off down the street. For a moment, Bass considers letting her go. It would probably be for the best anyway. But there's an alley up ahead. If he could just talk to her for a second...

"Wait, wait, wait." He grabs her arm again, gently this time, and steers her into the alley. She struggles against him for a second, but he blocks her path of escape.

"I have to go," she says firmly.

"Then why did you come back?" Bass asks, suddenly angry. "Why even bother coming back here if you're just going to run away?"

Her mouth drops open and Bass finally notices just how close they are. He could count the freckles on her nose. He takes a step back, shaking his head sadly. "Why did you come back?"

It takes a minute for her to answer, the words sounding tortured as they come out of her mouth. "I thought I saw you earlier and I... I don't know. I just couldn't help myself."

"By the park. The Range Rover."

She nods and a smile breaks out across his face.

"I knew it was you."

He steps closer again and this time she lets him. "I've been thinking about you for weeks," he admits softly, then shakes his head. "Sorry. I know that sounds creepy."

She shakes her head slowly. "It doesn't. I've been thinking about you, too."

Bass let's out a breathy laugh. After all this time, it's nice to know that it wasn't all in his head.

Then her phone starts to ring. She checks the caller ID and looks up at him with wide, terrified eyes. "I have to go."

"Wait-"

"-No, I _have to go_."

She turns away but Bass catches her by the hand and pulls her back to face him.

"Will I see you again?"

Her eyes take a moment to roam over his face, a smile playing at her lips. "Yes."

Then she's gone.

The walk home is like a walk of victory. He smiles the entire way. Someway, somehow, he will see her again. He just hopes it doesn't take another three weeks before he does.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning dawns sunny and beautiful, dimmed only by the brilliance of Bass' smile. Finding 'Annie' has done wonders for his attitude, though he berates himself for not having asked for her real name.

 _It's just a minor detail,_ he tells himself as he shaves. He can't even remember the last time he did this. His first day on the new job, maybe? Since then, he's let his beard grow unchecked and frankly, he's starting to look like a homeless man. He shaves his neck but hesitates before lathering up his face. The beard isn't so bad... He settles himself for trimming it up a little and making it look more like he intends for it to be there rather than he's just to lazy to shave it off.

He wonders vaguely what 'Annie' will think of it.

He frowns at the reflection of the little bulge of fat just above his waistband and gives the scale on the bathroom floor a sideways glance. Instead of torturing himself with the stupid thing, he goes in search of some running clothes. It's about time he got out and saw Chicago anyway. He's lived here for over three weeks and hasn't even been through the museum he works at yet.

On his way out of the building, he runs into an old lady checking her mail. The woman, June, talks his ear off for ten minutes about how adorable her cat Fergus is. Then she spends five minutes complaining about how the building manager still hasn't gotten the elevator fixed. Then she starts complaining about the guy on the second floor that plays his music too loud, all the while giving Bass curious looks. He assures the woman that he isn't the loud music type and excuses himself, claiming he's late for an appointment.

Bass takes a moment outside to just let the sun shine down on his face, warming him from the inside out as a smile comes to his lips. It's been months since he felt this good.

Chicago, as it turns out, is more than just windy. It's beautiful. The buildings, the people. Alright, maybe he's a little high on his own happiness, but at least he is happy. He jogs a few blocks and then cuts through a park and finds himself back on his own block. When he strips down to hop in the shower, Bass glowers at that little bulge of fat and vows that it will dissappear.

* * *

"What are you all smiley about?"

"Hmm?" Bass murmers as he changes into his uniform shirt.

Archie rolls his eyes and pokes him hard in the chest. "I haven't seen you smile since the day we met and now all of a sudden you won't quit. So what happened?"

"Nothing happened. I'm just happy, that's all."

"Mhmm. Whatever you say, kid."

Bass takes his turn rolling his eyes, after Archie turns around, and tucks his shirt in.

The lasagna Mrs. Archie sent is really good, and he's chowing down on it with a goofy smile on his face when Miles calls to check in on him. Bass double checks that Archie is asleep before answering.

"Hey brother, what's up?"

Miles chuckles. _"Well aren't you happy."_

"What is it with everyone today, am I not allowed to be happy?"

He hears a voice in the background, probably Nora, and Miles shushes her. _"Yeah, yeah, I know, Babe. Hang on."_

Bass frowns. "Are you busy, 'cause you're the one that called me."

" _Huh? Oh, no. Nora's just excited. She wants to talk to you."_

There's the sound of the phone switching hands and then Nora's chirpy voice comes through. _"Hey, so you're doing better? I hope you aren't staying inside all the time, because that's not good for you. I- Hey! Miles, give me back the phone!"_

Bass can't help but laugh while he listens to their muffled argument.

" _Give me back the phone. I was talking."_

" _Yeah, but you're smothering him. Give the guy some room to breathe."_

" _I'm just trying to help,"_ Nora snaps.

" _I know Baby."_ Miles says soothingly. _"But you've got to relax. Give him some space."_

Nora mutters something under her breath that Bass can't quite hear, and if it weren't for the fact that they were talking about him then he would would probably find this whole conversation hilarious.

"Are you two done?" He asks in a bored voice.

Miles at least has the decency to sound a little ashamed. _"Sorry. We're just both glad to hear that you're doing better."_

" _Yeah,"_ Nora adds, her voice a bit further away. _"We just want you to be happy."_

Bass rolls his eyes. Of all the women on the planet, Miles had to pick the insufferablely happy one.

" _Why are you sitting on my lap?"_ Miles whispers, but Bass hears him perfectly through the phone.

" _I wanna hear what he's saying."_ Nora explains.

There's some more muttering and some shuffling before Bass hears the unmistakable feedback that comes with being put on speakerphone.

" _There, you happy? Now you can hear him."_

" _Yes I am, thank you."_ Nora answers happily.

Honestly, it's a wonder that those two can even put up with each other.

" _So what's going on Bass? What's got you in a good mood?"_ Miles asks.

Bass doesn't answer right away. He hesitates on the edge of telling them about 'Annie.' On one hand, they would probably be glad to hear that he's making friends. But on the other hand, they would probably misinterpret the whole thing and think that she's his new girlfriend.

"It's nothing. I'm just happy, that's all."

There's silence on their end of the line for a moment and Miles says, _"bullshit. What's is it, did you get laid or something?"_

" _Miles,"_ Nora scolds.

" _What?"_ Miles asks innocently. _"That makes every guy happy."_

Before a full blown argument can break out, Bass cuts across them. _"No, I didn't get laid."_

" _Oh."_

But the mere thought of 'Annie' is enough to bring a smile to his lips and Bass can't help but share his news. "I met this girl..."

" _I knew it!"_ Miles shouts triumphantly.

Nora talks over him. _"Ooh. Is she pretty? What's her name?"_

Bass sighs. "I, uh, I don't know."

" _How can you not know her name?"_ Nora asks.

" _Is she hooker?"_ Miles asks, then grunts in pain. Nora's kind of known for having a lot of power behind that tiny body.

" _Why don't you know her name?"_ Nora asks again.

"It's complicated."

" _What the hell does that mean?"_ Miles grumbles. It was most likely only meant for Nora to hear.

Bass sighs. "Look, it's not what you guys are thinking. This girl, she... she needs help and she's too afraid to go to the police. So I've been trying to help her."

" _Trying?"_

"Well it's not easy. She's so afraid that she won't even tell me her real name."

He can hear the two of them whispering but now they're doing it quietly enough that he can't understand them. Finally, Miles sighs and Bass knows that it's the sound of Nora winning the argument.

" _Listen, Bass. Are you sure that getting involved with this chick is a good idea? I mean, you can't help someone unless they want to be helped and it kind of sounds like your girl isn't interested."_

"She is," Bass tells him firmly. "I _know_ that she wants help. And I know that she knows, she _needs_ help. I just don't think she knows how to ask for it, so I'm doing it for her."

There's a moments silence where Bass considers those words. Of course she wants help. Why else would she have come back? The insinuation behind Miles' words, that it's about more than just helping her, grates on his nerves. This isn't about sex. Sure, she's young and pretty, and yeah, he likes her. But that's not the point.

"Hey guys I gotta go. Archie will be waking up soon and I can't let him catch me on the phone." He feels a little bad about lying, but he doesn't want anymore of their negativity ruining his first good day in months.

" _Alright Bass, we'll talk later."_ Miles' voice clearly indicates that this conversation isn't over.

" _We love you!"_ Nora adds quickly, but Bass hangs up before he can reciprocate. At the moment, he isn't sure he wants too.

Their phone call has officially burst his happy, little bubble and Bass can't help but resent them for it. Months of depression, hiding in his own home, going so far as to change his identity just so he could feel safe going outside again. It's been one hell of a year, and not in the good way. He can't believe that Miles and Nora, the two people who have been worried about him the most, would be willing to squash what little happiness he's managed to find.

By the time Archie wakes up, Bass is in a sour mood. He snaps when Archie asks what is wrong and shoves his half eaten lasagna back at the older man without so much as a thank you.

He wants a drink. No, he needs one.

He cools off a little during the walk over and mentally slaps himself for being so mean to Archie. The old guy was just trying to help and he hopes that his slip up won't make things awkward between them.

The bar door swings open and he slouches inside, noticing that something is off immediately. Jeremy catches his eye and waves for him to come behind the bar and follow him into the back.

"What's going on?" Bass asks as soon as the bar is out of sight.

"Your girl called," Jeremy says in a low voice. There's no discussion necessary. They both know they're talking about 'Annie.'

"What? Did she say why?"

"She asked if you were here and when I told her you weren't she sounded pretty upset. I tried to tell her that you usually come by later, but she wouldn't listen." Jeremy shakes his head, concern covering his face. "I think something must be really wrong. She almost sounded like she was in pain."

Bass knows that both of them are thinking about the substantial bruise she'd had on her face when they first met her, both of them wondering if this time could be worse.

"Did she leave her number?" Bass asks, praying that she's alright.

"No, but I've got caller ID." Jeremy pulls a slip of paper from his pocket. "I knew you would ask for it."

Bass nods, barely paying any attention to the bartender as he pulls out his phone and begins to dial. He makes his way back through the bar and out front so he can hear better before pushing send. It rings once, twice, and a third time before she answers and even then, she doesn't say anything. Bass can hear her heavy breathing though, so he knows she's there.

"It's me," he says into the silence.

There's a sharp intake of breath before her shaky voice comes through. _"How did you get my number?"_

"The bar has caller ID and you didn't block your number."

" _Right. Duh."_ She tries to laugh, but Bass can hear the pain in her voice.

"What's wrong?" But she doesn't answer. After a minute, he says, "you can tell me. It'll be alright, I promise."

When she finally speaks, it sounds like she's talking through clenched teeth. _"It's my shoulder. I think I dislocated it."_

Bass ignores the 'I' part of that sentence, his mind automatically conjuring up images of a faceless man tearing her arm out of its socket. The picture makes his blood boil, but anger isn't what she needs right now.

"Everything's going to be OK. Where are you?" She's quiet again, so he adds calmly, "I can't help you if I don't know where you are."

She sighs. _"I'm by the alley where we talked yesterday. I'm in my car."_

Bass automatically turns in that direction and picks up his pace. "I'll be there in a minute, just stay there." He waits until he's rounded the corner and can see her red Range Rover before he hangs up the phone. She opens the driver side door as he approaches and slides out of the car clutching her left arm to her chest.

"What happened?" Bass asks, but isn't surprised when she bites her lip hesitantly. "Forget it. Let's just get you to a hospital." He moves forward with the intention of helping her back into the car but she backs away from him shaking her head.

"No, I can't."

"You can't just leave your arm like that, we need to get you some help."

"No. They-they keep records," she whispers as if people might be listening in on their conversation. "If I go in there again then people will start asking questions."

Bass considers mentioning that that would probably be a good thing, but the fear in her eyes is too fresh for her to listen to reason. Instead, he asks her what she thinks they should do about her shoulder.

"Well... I was hoping that maybe... you could do it." She says, her cheeks going slightly pink.

Bass shakes his head. This girl is going to be the death of him. "Well I'm not going to do it out here. Let's go back to the bar, I'm sure Jeremy will let us use one of the backrooms."

"No, I can't go in there again. If my hus-" She stops herself before the word is fully out of her mouth, but the damage is done. Now there's no question in Bass' mind about who he should be plotting to kill. "I don't want to get in anymore trouble," she says quietly.

Bass nods in understanding. He certainly doesn't want her in anymore trouble either. "Alright, well what about my apartment? It's not far from here and it's late so there won't be any people hanging around to see us."

She considers it for a moment and then nods before moving to get back in the car. Bass stops her before she's in the driver's seat. "I'll drive," he tells her.

Scoffing, she raises her eyebrows at him. "I drove here. It'll be fine."

"Yeah, I'm not putting my life in the hands of a one armed, pain addled driver."

She rolls her eyes but heads around to the other side of the car anyway. Bass has to roll the seat back before he can even get in, she's only like five feet tall, and starts the engine with a small smile.

"You just wanted to drive my car," she mutters under her breath.

Bass chuckles. "Well, and I didn't want to die."

They share a smile and spend the rest of the short drive in silence. As Bass pulls into the parking lot of his rundown apartment building, it occurs to him that someone who drives a Range Rover might not like it here.

"I know it's not much," he says apologetically. But to his surprise, she smiles over at him.

"I always thought it'd be kinda fun to live in a big building like this. Especially if you're high up."

"Then you're in luck, 'cause I live on the fourth floor and the elevator is busted."

They climb the stairs in silence. Bass, who has gotten used to the stairs over the past few weeks, laughs when she starts huffing and puffing. "Not so fun now, is it?"

"Shut up. I've got a dislocated shoulder you asshole."

"Right. Sorry."

She snorts and he glances back in time to see her smiling up at him. Once they're in the apartment, Bass sits her down on the edge of the couch and starts poking at her shoulder. She hisses and pulls away from him but he gently steers her back towards him while trying to think of something for them to talk about. He needs to distract her so she'll relax and he can reset her shoulder.

"So are you going to tell me your name now?"

"Huh?" She asks distractedly, still trying to pull away from his prodding fingers.

"Your name," Bass repeats patiently. "After all this, I kind of feel like I've earned it. Don't you?"

She rolls her eyes but nods in agreement. "It's Charlie."

"Charlie? Isn't that a boys name?" He asks as he slowly starts to bend her arm in order to put her shoulder back in place.

She sucks in a deep breath and grits her teeth. "It's unisex."

Bass is too busy focusing on her shoulder to give their conversation much thought. "Sounds like you've had this argument before."

"Only with every guy I've ever met," she huffs, then immediately let's out a groan of relief as her arm slips back into its socket. "Thank you."

Bass smiles in return and looks around the tiny living room at the boxes he's had yet to unpack. He digs around in a few of them and pulls out a sling for her arm.

"You just happen to have one of those laying around?" She asks with a cocked eyebrow.

"Let's just say, I've had my fair share of injuries."

They get her situated in the sling and spend a few seconds in awkward silence. Medical emergency now dealt with, it's becoming increasingly clear that being alone together probably isn't the best idea.

Charlie gives him an embarrassed sort of smile and says softly, "I should get going."

Bass nods, even let's her stand and walk to the door before he stops her. "You know it doesn't have to be this way Charlie. You could leave, be free."

She turns back to him with sad eyes, a bitter smile on her lips. "I wish it was that simple."

"It can be, but only if you let it."

"You don't understand," she says, her voice cracking. "I can't just leave."

"Why not?"

Charlie opens her mouth to explain but stops herself, turning the doorknob and pulling the door open. "Thank you for helping me," she says softly, and then she leaves.

It takes a few minutes for everything to settle down in his head but when it does, Bass can't help but feel angry. Angry with Charlie's husband for hurting her, angry with Charlie for staying with him, and angry with Miles for being right. Maybe he should have left the mystery girl alone. If he had, he wouldn't be beating himself up over a situation that actually has nothing to do with him. He has his own problems, anyway. He doesn't need some girl adding to the mess that's already his life.

But he knows deep down that the next time she comes calling, and he has no doubt that she will, he'll be sure to answer.


	5. Chapter 5

After another night of fitful sleep, Bass slouches into work with a heavy heart. He'd considered calling Charlie this morning to make sure she's alright, but he was too afraid that her husband might find out and she'd get into more trouble. The idea that he's become the 'other man' in her life leaves him with a bitter taste in his mouth, but there isn't much he can do about it.

Archie smiles at him as he enters the locker room, succeeding in making him feel even worse because of the way he'd treated him the night before.

"I'm sorry about last night," Bass says guiltily. "I know you were just trying to help me and I was being a dick."

Archie waves him off and pats his shoulder. "It's alright kid, everybody has bad days."

They move on without another word said about it, Bass eating Mrs. Archie's fettuccine while Archie enjoys his evening nap.

* * *

When he leaves at the end of his shift, Bass can feel the consequences of not sleeping the night before starting to catch up with him. He'd hoped to go to the bar after work and hang out with Jeremy for a while, but he's exhausted and needs to rest. He considers taking the bus home, even though it's only a few blocks, but decides to walk instead when he sees Tom Neville's smug little grin staring back at him from the advertisement on the bench.

Despite the fettuccine, his stomach rumbles as he walks, making him sigh as he ducks into a 24 hour convenience store. He grabs a loaf of bread and a package of bologna, thinking of the bottle of ketchup in his refrigerator at home. His mother would have a fit, she'd despised his love for ketchup and bologna sandwiches when he was a kid, but it's quick and easy, and he's too tired to cook. He passes the wall of refrigerators and backtracks a little in order to grab a six pack as well. Now he definitely doesn't need to go to the bar.

Brown bag of groceries in tow, he heads home, his mind wandering to Charlie yet again. Bass pulls his phone from his pocket and lets his finger hover over the send button as he stares at her name on the screen.

He shouldn't. But oh, does he want to.

Giving his head a sharp shake, he shoves the phone back in his pocket as he rounds the corner to the front of his building. He isn't sure why he does it, perhaps it's all those years he spent as a cop, but he gives the parking lot a quick once over while he fishes for his keys from his pocket. Nothing stands out. It's just a bunch of older model, some of them junker, cars. Except...

There's a red Range Rover parked two rows back from the front door.

A Range Rover, that just happens to be red, here of all places. What are the odds?

 _Impossible_ , Bass tells himself. He knows it's Charlie.

But why? Is she hurt again?

Setting his bag of food down by the door, Bass jogs over to the car and peers into the driver's side window. Charlie is sitting in the seat with her head lolled back, obviously asleep, half of her face hidden in shadow. He wonders how long she's been sitting here. Probably a while if she fell asleep. He raps lightly on the glass in an attempt not to startle her, but she jerks awake anyway, turning to look out the window in surprise. Bass gasps when he gets a look at the other side of her face. There's a gash just below her right eye and the eye itself appears to be swollen shut. Bass grabs the door handle and yanks it open, immediately crowding into her space.

"What the hell happened?" He asks, already inspecting the deep cut on her cheek. It's not bleeding anymore, but he'll need to clean it up soon if they want to avoid infection.

Charlie is silent all throughout his little exam, her good eye downcast and her arms pulled close to her chest, making him notice that her sling is missing.

"Where's your sling? You know you have to keep it on for a few weeks so your shoulder will heal," he says, looking over into the passenger seat like he expects it to be there.

To his surprise, Charlie's lips start to tremble and tears roll down her cheeks. "Hey, hey, hey," he says soothingly. "It's OK, it's OK. We can get you another one, it's no big deal." He rubs her good shoulder in a soothing manner and she leans into him, turning her face to rest against his chest as the tears continue to fall. Bass just wraps his arms around her and lets her cry into his shirt. Whatever has happened has finally pushed her to her breaking point.

"I'm sorry," she whimpers into his shirt.

"Shh, it's OK." But he doesn't say anything else just yet, he doesn't want to say anything until he knows what's going on. When her sniffles finally subside, he gently tips her face up to look at him. "Let's go inside and get you cleaned up, OK?"

But Charlie shakes her head. "I can't."

It takes everything in him not to yell in frustration. Instead he scrubs a hand over his face and clenches his jaw. "Charlie," he says slowly, patiently. "I can't do anything to help you if we're outside."

Her one good eye widens and she shakes her head quickly. "No, that's not what I meant. I mean, I can't go inside and leave Tyler."

"Who?" Bass asks, his confusion evident.

Charlie bites her lip hesitantly, jerking her head towards the backseat. Bass peers over the top of her seat and finally understands. A little boy, probably four or five, with dark curly hair is fast asleep in the backseat, still strapped in his booster chair. A long sigh makes its way from his lips and Bass looks down at Charlie, her eyes begging him to understand.

"I couldn't just leave him. He's my baby." She says softly.

"Of course not," Bass says. He moves to the back door and opens it, unbuckles the kid from his seat, and hefts him into his arms with relative ease. The boy shifts and makes an unhappy sound but Bass pats him on the back and he goes right back to sleep, his arms wrapping loosely around Bass' shoulders.

Bass jerks his head towards the apartment building, but he waits for Charlie to lock up the car and follow before he moves. Though, it's not likely she'd let him go anywhere with her kid. He stops at the door to search for his keys again, noticing his grocery bag as he does it.

"Hey, can you grab that?" He whispers. She nods and picks it up with her good arm, taking the keys from his hands when he finally finds them. "It's the big, silver one." Her hands shake a little as she opens the door, but other than that she seems to be pulling herself together.

Personally, Bass thinks if he were recovering from a dislocated shoulder and then had to deal with only being able to see out of one eye, on top of apparently running away from an abusive husband with a young son, then he would probably have lost it a long time ago. He wonders if this is a show of her inner strength or the amount of tolerance she's built up over the years.

The climb to his fourth floor apartment is slow going. Charlie, with one good arm and only half her vision, takes slow but steady steps up the stairs. Bass decided to let her go first, just in case she misses a step, and has found himself in the awkward situation of trying not to look at her swaying hips but being unable to stop himself from admiring her slender curves. He has to stop for a break around the second floor, his breath coming in heavy gasps and sweat beading on his forehead. Charlie stops a few steps ahead of him and turns back to check on him.

"I'm alright." Bass waves her off, rolling his eyes when she raises a skeptical eyebrow. "It's been a while since I lugged 50 pound sacks up four flights of stairs, but don't worry, I've got this."

Charlie giggles and shakes her head in amusement. "Whatever you say."

They eventually make it into the apartment without incident. Bass immediately heads for the bedroom, Charlie one step behind him as he sets the kid down on the bed. He watches for a moment as she leans in close to her son's face, the love in her eyes clear as day. It feels a bit like he's intruding, so Bass goes out to the kitchen to unpack the bag of groceries that Charlie had left on the counter. But he can't help but watch through the open bedroom door. She peels off the boy's tiny sneakers and covers him up, kissing him gently on the forehead before making her way out of the room.

Bass fusses around with the beer as she pulls the bedroom door closed. He looks at her, wanting to ask a million questions, but she looks away, nervously running her fingers through her hair. Making a quick decision, Bass grabs two of the beers and holds one out to her.

"I think you're gonna need this"

She simply nods and takes it, snapping the can open and chugging half of it right off the bat. Bass can't help but chuckle, making her wipe her lips on her sleeve and smile shyly.

"Sorry."

"Don't be. I think you've earned it, don't you?"

She nods slowly, her eyes fluttering closed as takes another drink. Bass notes the tension in her shoulders, her shaking hands, and her quick breathing. She looks like a caged animal, ready to lash out at any moment.

But she's _here_. In his apartment, in the middle of the night, and she brought her son.

"So what happened? And just... tell me everything. Just tell me now so we can get this part out of the way."

Charlie takes a deep, calming breath and sets her empty can of beer on the counter, her good eye already brimming with tears. "I left," she says simply.

Bass waits a moment to see if she'll elaborate, sighing when she doesn't. "OK. So you're done? You're going to file for a divorce?"

Her eye goes wide and she suddenly looks terrified. "Oh my God," she whispers, though it seems like it's to herself. "Oh my God. He'll never let this go."

She looks to be on the verge of another breakdown, so Bass guides her over to the couch and sits her down, looking her straight in the eye. "OK, look. I want to help you, but all of these little bits and pieces you're giving me don't make any sense. I can't help you if I don't even know what's going on."

"My husband... he has a lot of very powerful friends. If I file for a divorce..." Charlie puts her face in her hands, her shoulders starting to shake. "He'll kill me."

The muffled words barely make it to Bass' ears, but he hears them. Hears the fear and the hurt, and the anger in her voice. "I won't let that happen," he tells her. "You have my word, Charlie. No one is going to lay another hand on you."

She gives him a watery smile and all of a sudden Bass feels like the past year hasn't even happened. What new name? What new city? What incident? That single smile washes away the entire shit storm that has been his life and makes way for a new one.

Bass smiles back at her, his fingers ghosting over her injured cheek. "Tell me about him. About your husband and his powerful friends."

"He works in insurance."

"And that pays for your Range Rover?" He asks, feeling a little skeptical.

"It's not just any insurance agency. His father started it years ago and he's grown it into a mulit-million dollar empire. Their family is really well connected, not just within the insurance market either. They've got friends in the police department, the district attorney's office, the mayor's office. Hell, I'm pretty sure Tom had lunch with the mayor himself last week."

"Wait a sec..." It takes a moment for everything to fall into place, but every thing makes much more sense once it does. "Tom," Bass repeats slowly. "As in, Tom Neville."

Charlie nods, biting her lip as if awaiting his judgment.

"So you married... his son?"

She nods slowly. "Yeah. Jason."

"And Jason is the one that did all this?" Bass asks, indicating her various injuries.

"Yeah."

Bass let's out a long breath. "Wow."

"Yeah, and Jason won't just let this go. He'll come looking for us soon." Charlie turns to him, her eyes suddenly serious. "I know that the Neville's have a reputation for being vicious, so I'll understand if you decide you want no part of this."

"What?" Bass asks incredulously. "Are you kidding me? I'm the one who convinced you it was time leave that guy, and there's no way I'm going to miss a chance to piss off Tom Neville. His commercials are enough to make me want to punch the guy, I can't even imagine what he's like in real life."

Charlie laughs dryly. "Oh, Tom's a peach, don't you worry." She sighs, and Bass can tell that worrying is exactly what she is doing.

"Hey," he says, gently turning her to face him. "You shouldn't worry either. We can handle whatever that asshole throws at us."

"Except for lawyers," she says defeatedly. "The company has the best and brightest on retainer. Meanwhile, I'm homeless and unemployed. There isn't a judge in the world who would give me custody of Tyler over Jason, even if I could afford a lawyer."

"OK, first of all, you're not homeless. You and Tyler can stay here as long as you need to. And as far as lawyers go, I happen to be friends with one of the best."

"Really?" Charlie asks, almost as if she thinks it's all too good to be true.

"I'll do whatever I can to help you Charlie. And I know my friends will back us up."

"Friends? As in plural? How many lawyer friends do you have?"

Bass laughs a little. "It's actually just the one, but she's my best friend's girlfriend, so if we need her then he'll be right there with her."

"He sounds sweet," Charlie says with a soft smile.

Bass throws his head back and laughs, but quickly smothers it so he doesn't wake the kid. "Sorry," he whispers. "It's just that Miles and the word 'sweet' don't typically go together."

"Well I'm sure he's a saint compared to what I'm used too," she mutters.

Bass nods in agreement. They sit together on the couch for a few minutes, each of them lost in their own thoughts until Charlie yawns.

"We both need sleep," he tells her. "You go in and stay with Tyler. I'll sleep on the couch."

"I don't want to kick you out of your bed," Charlie says, seeming torn between her son and not wanting to be a bother.

"I've slept on on worse. I'll be fine, I promise. Go get some sleep."

Her eyes roams over his face, taking in every feature before she gives him a little nod and heads off to the bedroom. Bass waits until the door clicks shut before he throws himself across the couch, not even bothering to undress.

He's got a woman with no place else to go and her son staying in his tiny, one bedroom apartment.

As if it wasn't already crowded enough.

Bass toes off his shoes as his eyes drift closed, his last thought before sleep being that at least Charlie is safe, that is, until he's woken up several hours later by someone screaming.

* * *

A/N Thanks for reading! Leave me a review is you've got a minute. :D


	6. Chapter 6

A/N Remember that cliffhanger? Lol. :D Thanks for reading an reviewing.

* * *

Bass jerks awake to the sound of a woman's scream, his eyes immediately seeking out the source of the sound. It sounds far away but also very close. He shakes his head roughly in an attempt to clear the sleep from his brain, snapping his eyes open when a train horn blows.

"What the hell?"

It's just the TV. It's some old cartoon, a woman tied to the train tracks while her rescuer attempts to save her.

"Mommy said that's a bad word." A small voice says next to him.

Bass jumps out of his seat on the couch and stares down at the little boy in his living room. He has dark, wavy hair and olive skin, but his eyes are the same crystal blue as his mother's.

"Sorry, kid. You scared me."

Tyler looks up at him expectantly and Bass finds himself feeling more uncomfortable than he has in a very long time. He looks over at the bedroom door, left open from when the kid came out, and finds Charlie still wrapped up in the blankets, fast asleep.

"Mommy doesn't like it when you wake her up. It makes her grumpy." Tyler says, his face twisted into a little frown. "Do we live here now? Do you have any toys? I'm hungry."

A chuckle escapes Bass' lips and he pats Tyler on the head. "I think I've got some cereal or something."

The boy follows him into the kitchen, though Bass notices he's oddly quiet for someone so young. Don't kids usually talk nonstop at that age?

"Wait, how old are you?" He asks, realizing that Charlie had never actually said. Tyler smiles sheepishly and holds up five little fingers. "Five, huh?" The kid nods, sneaking a look around the room as if he's afraid someone might be listening. Bass checks too, even though he knows no one is there. Tyler points his finger at him and then pulls him down onto one knee with a 'come here' motion.

"What is it?" Bass whispers, going along with the boy's secretive manner.

"Is my Daddy here?" Tyler asks softly, his blue eyes incredibly serious for a five year old.

"No. He isn't here."

The boy let's out a tiny sigh of relief. "He hurt Mommy," he whispers, glancing towards the bedroom to make sure his mother is still asleep.

Despite his young age, the boy is clearly more receptive than Bass would have thought. Without actually saying it, Tyler is trying to ask him if it's safe for them here.

"I know he did. But you don't need to worry about that now. I won't let him do it again."

Tyler looks up at him with eyes full of wonder. "You can do that?"

Bass let's the hero worship wash over him like a waterfall. After twenty years as a cop, it's a welcome and familiar feeling. "You bet I can," he tells the boy seriously. "You're both safe here."

Tyler gives him a tiny, grateful smile that penetrates deep into Bass' soul. It's just like Charlie's smile, only the boy hasn't quite lost all of that beautiful innocence yet. An overwhelming sense of protectiveness comes over him, and Bass vows to protect whatever innocence this child has left with his own life. "Now let's eat. I'm starving."

They find a box of Captain Crunch but the milk in the refrigerator is out of date, so they sit on the couch taking turns eating handfuls of dry cereal while they watch cartoons.

Charlie sleeps well into the morning. At first, Bass is a little concerned but when he considers the horror she's been living in for the past few years, he decides she deserves some rest. So he spends time with Tyler instead. The boy is quiet, but intelligent and perceptive. He's excited to start kindergarten when the summer is over, but is worried about his mother being home alone all day. Charlie has certainly done her best for her son. In a home as dangerous as their's seemed, you would think Tyler would be an angry kid, but he's sweet and gentle, and clearly worships his mom.

"Is Mommy ever gonna get up?" Tyler finally asks around eleven o'clock.

Bass shrugs. "Do you think we should wake her up?"

A frown crosses Tyler's face, his brow furrowing in thought. He sighs and walks slowly towards the bedroom. "I'll do it," he tells Bass seriously, holding up a hand as if to tell him to stay put. Bass does as he's told, though he watches over the back of the couch through the open bedroom door as Tyler moves into the room and gently prods his mother's shoulder.

"Mom? Mommy?" He coos softly. "It's time to wake up."

Bass can't see Charlie's face, but he can imagine the little smile playing at her lips when she rasps out, "Hey little man."

Tyler leans over the bed and kisses her cheek. "Are you done sleeping now?"

Charlie groans and sits up, trying to stretch her muscles without hurting her shoulder. "Yeah, I'm done sleeping." She looks around the bedroom curiously, as if she doesn't really remember how she got there, and then her eyes snap to the bedroom door, succeeding in catching Bass staring at her. "Hey," she squeaks out, obviously uncomfortable.

"Did you sleep OK?" Bass asks, trying to make it seem less weird that he'd been watching her.

"Yeah, thanks." An awkward silence beats around them until Tyler looks up at his mother with a big grin.

"Me and Bass ate cereal," he tells her proudly, to which Charlie rolls her eyes.

"Great. Just what you needed, more sugar." She reaches out to poke his stomach but the boy back away with giggle and runs back into the living room, flinging himself onto the couch next to Bass.

"I would offer you some too, but we kind of ate it all," Bass says. He holds the empty box up for her to see and she shakes her head.

"I'm alright. Actually I was hoping I could take a shower."

Bass nods towards the bathroom right next door and says, "help yourself." He and Tyler turn their attention back to the TV, but Bass finds himself watching Charlie's reflection in the window. She slides to the edge of the bed with her arm pulled close for support and he has to look away quickly when he spots her long, bare legs sliding from beneath the covers. He stares determinedly at the TV, but his ears pick up the sound of fabric being pulled over skin and a zipper. Tyler laughs loudly at whatever silly thing is happening on the TV, distracting him until the bathroom door clicks shut.

Now that Charlie is awake, Bass is going to need a game plan. For one thing, he still needs to call Miles so he can get Nora on the next flight out of Philly. Plus there's the fact that the only thing in the house to eat is bologna. He seriously doubts Charlie's a bologna kind of girl. Then there's also the issue of him having to be at work by three. It's already 11:30, which means there isn't much time to work with.

With Charlie in the shower, Bass heads into the bedroom for a change of clothes, not even noticing his little shadow until his pants are already around his ankles.

"What are you doing?" Tyler asks. Bass kicks his dirty pants away and yanks on a pair of jeans before finding a clean shirt to pull on.

"I've gotta go downstairs and... check the mail." He winces at the poor excuse, but it's necessary. It might take some convincing to get Miles to help and he doesn't want Charlie to overhear.

"Can I come?"

"Uh." Bass scratches his head, trying to think fast. "Not this time Buddy. I need you to stay up here with your mom and keep an eye on things for me. You know, just to make sure she's safe. Can you do that?"

Tyler nods seriously. "OK."

Bass pats his shoulder and grabs his keys and cell phone off the kitchen counter. "Alright, I'll be back in a little bit. I'm gonna lock the door and I don't want you to open it for anybody. I've got my key, so I'll let myself in. Got it?"

"Don't open the door," Tyler repeats. "Got it."

Bass can't help but smile at the kid as he shuts the apartment door, double checking it's locked, and heads downstairs. Part of him is dreading this phone call. He'll have to admit that things with his 'troubled new friend' have gotten a little out of hand and he knows how much Miles loves being right. But Charlie is depending on him, so he sucks it up and dials.

" _Hey Bass, what's up?"_

Not wanting to prolong it, he just comes out and says it. "So remember when you said I should have minded my own business and stayed out of that girl's trouble?"

" _Yeah,"_ Miles says slowly. Bass cringes at the condescension already dripping from his voice. _"Let me guess, you didn't stay out of it."_ He says tiredly.

"No, I didn't. And now she and her son are staying in my apartment because they don't have anywhere else to go."

" _What!"_ Bass has to pull the phone away from his ear to keep from going deaf. _"Are you insane?"_

"Miles." But his friend just keeps muttering about his stupidity. "Miles, shut up for a second."

His friend blows out a deep breath and says, _"Fine. I'm listening."_

"She needs our help. Well, actually she needs Nora's help."

" _What do you mean?"_ Miles asks suspiciously.

Bass sighs. "She isn't just some random girl Miles. Charlie's husband is the only son of Tom Neville."

" _The insurance creep?"_

"Yeah. And they have an army of lawyers ready to go at any given time. As soon as Jason finds out where they are, he's going to come for them and he'll either drag them both home or have Charlie arrested for some fake reason and use that to take Tyler away from her."

Miles lets out a deep breath, his voice going from concerned to a kind of forced calm. _"Tom Neville has friends in high places Bass. You know that. So what do you think is going to happen when they look into the mystery guy his daughter-in-law is staying with? Don't you think they'll realize that Bass Miller doesn't actually exist?"_

While very true, Bass knows he can't afford to think about that right now. "I know, I know. But Charlie and Tyler..."

" _You like them,"_ Miles says simply.

"She's trying to do what's best for her son and Tyler is a good kid. They deserve better than this."

Miles sighs again, the fight going out of his voice. _"Alright. I'll call Nora, she should be on her lunch break, and I'll see when the next flight out is."_

Bass sighs with relief. "Thank you, Miles. Seriously."

" _Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just keep your girlfriend out of Neville's sight until we can figure out what the hell we're going to do."_

"Don't worry, I've got it under control. And she's not my girlfriend."

Miles doesn't bother arguing with him, he just snorts and hangs up the phone.

With the lawyer problem solved, Bass heads back upstairs to find Tyler immersed in the TV and Charlie snooping through the kitchen with her wet hair up in a bun. She looks down at his hands and raises an eyebrow at him.

"No mail?" She asks.

Remembering the excuse he'd given Tyler, Bass shrugs. "Nah. But I called my friends. They should be here in the next few days."

Relief spreads across her face and Charlie flings herself at him, burying her face in his neck. "Thank you."

She smells like the green apple shampoo in his shower and something decidedly more feminine, though he can't quite put his finger on it. Bass shoves those thoughts aside and tries to focus on the more pressing matters, like what he's going to feed them.

"So I don't really have any food in the house at the moment, so I thought I'd go out and pick up some groceries before I have to leave for work."

Charlie waves him off. "I can go to the grocery store-"

"-No." She flinches slightly at the command in his voice and Bass babbles to try and fix it. "No I didn't mean you _can't_ go, well, I did, but... Look, you shouldn't be leaving the apartment just yet."

Charlie shakes her head confusedly. "I don't understand."

Bass starts to explain how Jason will be looking for her but he catches sight of Tyler watching them out of the corner of his eye and quickly shuts his mouth. "Lets talk in here." He steers Charlie into the bedroom and shuts the door, sending Tyler a smile as it closes. With everything that's been going on, Bass realizes that he doesn't actually know what happened that led Charlie to leave Jason.

"What actually happened with Jason? Does he know where you are?"

"No. He might not even know that I left yet," she says quietly.

"How would he not know?"

"Well, after we... fought... I waited until he went to bed and then I packed up some of our things and left. But lately it hasn't been unusual for me to spend the night in Tyler's room, so Jason might have gotten up and gone to work without even noticing that we weren't in the house."

"Well that's good for us," Bass says. "Because I don't want to have to face him until we've got our legal team ready and our plan in place."

"You don't have to face him Bass. I can deal with Jason."

Shaking his head roughly, Bass cups her cheeks in his hands and runs his thumb over the cut on her cheek, thinking of all the things he'll do to Jason if they ever come face to face. "I don't want you anywhere near him. If you see Jason anywhere and I'm not there with you, I want you to call the police immediately. I don't even want you to speak to him. Got it?"

She nods, covering his hands with her own and closing her eyes. "I almost can't believe this," she whispers, leaning into his hands. "All this time I've wished and hoped and prayed that someone, anyone, could help me. You're like a dream."

"I'm real Charlie. I promise. And we're going to fix this."

She opens her eyes and looks up at him, her eyes full of hope. "Thank you." Her lips brush his cheek so gently that Bass wouldn't even be sure it happened if it weren't for the blush on her cheeks. He releases her and they head back out into the kitchen, his every move being scrutinized by Tyler's narrowed eyes.

While Charlie makes everyone a sandwich - she insists on being helpful - Tyler sits down next to Bass on the couch, his eyes still suspicious. "What did you and my mom do in there?" He asks, his head jerking towards the bedroom.

"Just grown up stuff," Bass tells him.

One of his dark eyebrows shoots up, exactly like Charlie's had, and he frowns. "I'm not a baby, you know."

Bass rolls his eyes and checks over the back of the couch to make sure Charlie isn't listening. "I was just telling your mom that my friends will be coming soon and they're going to help us."

"That's it?" Tyler asks in disbelief.

"Yup."

The boy continues to watch him as they eat the ketchup and bologna sandwiches that Charlie made, though he stops glaring long enough to give his mom a charming smile. It finally dawns on Bass that the kid is probably used to Jason pulling his mother into a room and shutting him out, only to have bad things happen behind closed doors. He makes a mental note to leave the door open from now on and vows to prove his worth to Tyler in some way. How exactly he plans to do that is still a work in progress.

His phone buzzes and the screen lights up with a new text from Miles.

 _Plane leaves tomorrow morning at 8am my time. We'll get a rental car and meet you at your place._

A sigh of relief escapes Bass' lips. This will all be a lot easier with Miles and Nora to back them up.


	7. Chapter 7

Work is nearly impossible to get through that night. The knowledge that Charlie and Tyler are home alone, most likely sleeping peacefully, puts Bass on edge. Just because Jason hasn't come looking for them yet doesn't mean he won't, and Bass prays that Charlie won't have to face that alone. The stress surrounding him is enough that Archie even picks up on it.

"What's the matter with you?" The older man asks gruffly, though Bass notes the genuine concern in his eyes.

"It's nothing," he tells him quietly, his mind already flitting back to his apartment. He distinctly remembers locking the door, but did he check the windows? Bass shakes that thought from his mind. The apartment is on the fourth floor, no one is _that_ crazy.

Archie gives him a questioning look but opts not to pry. "Well, when you're ready to talk, I'll be ready to listen." Bass gives him a small smile in thanks and doesn't think twice about it as Archie nods off to sleep.

As he leaves work, Bass finds himself drawn to the bus stop across the street, his eyes glued to Tom Neville's smug face plastered on the bench. The hatred boiling inside of him is almost too much to bear. His fingernails make cresent shaped marks on his palms from squeezing his fists too tight. The bus pulls up and Bass decides to get on. If nothing else, it'll get him home faster so he can check on Tyler and Charlie. Seeing Neville's face has set his teeth on edge.

Thankfully the apartment building is quiet when he arrives home, most of its occupants already asleep. He opens the door as quietly as possible and silently makes his way across the living room to the cracked open bedroom door so he can peek inside. There's a small lump in the blankets that is clearly Tyler, but Bass' heart skips a beat when he realizes that his is the only lump there.

 _Where is Charlie?_

"Hey," she whispers softly from behind him. Bass jerks around to look at her with wide eyes, causing her to stifle a giggle behind her hand. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Making a quick recovery, Bass rolls his eyes and scoffs. "You didn't scare me." She raises a single eyebrow in disbelief but doesn't contradict him. Ignoring the knowing smile on her face, Bass says, "I thought you'd be asleep by now."

Charlie shrugs, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. "I tried," she admits with a shaky breath. "But I had this dream that Jason showed up and took Tyler away. I just couldn't go back to sleep after that." She shakes her head and looks down at her hands to pick nervously at her fingernails. "I know that sounds stupid."

Sympathy pulls at Bass' heart. He knows what it's like to have nightmares keep you up at night. He reaches out and takes her hands in his, gently rubbing her palms with his thumbs. "It's not stupid Charlie." She looks up at him with grateful eyes and a soft smile playing at her lips. Bass cups her cheek in his hand, feeling her smooth skin beneath his touch. "But you don't need to worry, I'm not going to let anyone take your son away."

She leans into his touch, her eyes fluttering closed. "I know you won't," she whispers.

It occurs to him that he could kiss her in that moment and she wouldn't refuse him, wouldn't push him away. In fact, she would probably welcome his affections. But guilt pulls away at him. She's a woman in a bad place, scared and vulnerable, he can't take advantage of that.

"You should try to get some sleep," Bass says quietly, making Charlie's eyes snap open, a shade of disappointment lingering on her face. She gives him a sad sort of smile that tugs at his heart and slowly pulls away from him, only for Bass to step forward at the last second and take her face in his hands. She looks up at him with wide eyes that turn soft as he presses the gentlest of kisses to her forehead. "No more bad dreams," he murmers against her skin.

She dissappears into the bedroom, leaving Bass to kick off his pants and collapse onto the couch with a frustrated groan. He had seen the disappointment in her eyes, though he found it hard to believe that a beautiful, young woman like her would want an old, pudgy guy like him. But he shakes those thoughts aside. He's supposed to be helping her get rid of her asshole of a husband, not falling in love with her himself.

 _Although_ , he admits to himself as he drifts off to sleep, _it might be too late for that._

* * *

Bass suddenly finds himself on a stage. There are people all around him, some on the standing with him and others filling up the audience. There's a man standing opposite him looking smart in his fancy suit. The man is asking him questions, but it's hard to hear because of the constant buzzing sound the audience is making, so he keeps getting the answer wrong. The buzzer sounds louder every time he opens his mouth, but when he tries to tell the man in the suit, a boy's voice comes from his mouth.

" _My mommy said I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."_

Bass stares at the man in the suit in confusion as a different, deeper voice comes from his mouth. _"I'm not a stranger. I'm Miles."_

"You aren't Miles," Bass tells the man in the suit, but even as he says it the world starts to distort around him, rippling in waves. The dream world shatters around him and Bass opens his eyes as the intercom buzzer rings again. He can hear Miles' voice coming through the speaker next to the door.

" _Where is Bass? Go tell him that Miles and Nora are here,"_ he says in an irritated voice.

Bass looks over to the door, finding Tyler standing in front of the speaker with one hand on his hip and the other pressing the 'talk' button. "Bass is _sleeping_ ," he says slowly, as if Miles were particularly dumb. "Mommy says it's not polite to wake people up."

He hears Miles groan in frustration and can't help but laugh. Miles is good at a lot of things, but kids are not his strong suit. "It's alright Tyler," Bass says loudly from his spot on the couch. "He's my friend, you can let him in. Just push that other button."

"Fine," Tyler grumbles under his breath.

Bass rolls off the couch with a groan, his poor back muscles tensing and twitching in pain after being out of his bed two nights in a row. He ignores the little twinges of pain and goes silently through the open bedroom door to find some clean pants. Charlie is still fast asleep so she doesn't even notice him as he pulls a pair of basketball shorts out of the dresser and yanks them on just in time for Miles to start knocking obnoxiously on the front door.

"Knock, knock!" Nora says in a sing song voice. Tyler opens the door before Bass has a chance to reach it and his two friends come spilling into the apartment with broad grins. "Bass!" Nora flings herself at him and kisses his scruffy cheek. "Ugh, you need to shave."

He rolls his eyes at her and they both turn to see Miles' reaction to his new beard, only to find his attention preoccupied by Tyler. The five year old is staring him down like he plans to skin him and toss him in the dumpster out back.

"Tyler," Bass says in what he hopes is a cheerful voice, "these are my friends. Miles and Nora."

But the little boy continues to glare at Miles as if he's done something wrong, causing Miles to look at him out of the corner of his eye. "Uh, dude? I think the kid is broken."

"Tyler Daniel!" Charlie's voice tears through them, Tyler jumping to attention as his mother scolds him. "That isn't how we treat people," she says in a low voice. "Now say hello, and be polite."

The little boy frowns and looks up at Miles through his lashes. "Sorry Mister. It's nice to meet you." He puts out a tiny hand for Miles to shake, causing the older man scratch his head in confusion. Luckily, Miles' hesitance goes unnoticed as Nora squeals with delight.

"Oh my God, you are so cute!"

Tyler gives her his best charming smile, showing off his cute little dimples, and says, "and you're pretty."

"Aww!" Nora fusses over Tyler while Miles rolls his eyes, making Bass and Charlie laugh. Her laugh catches Miles' attention and he looks at her, his eyes scanning the healing cut on her cheek, the faint bruise around her eye, and the way she's holding her injured shoulder close. His eyes soften, he did make an oath to protect people after all, and he gives her a sincere smile.

"You must be Charlie." The two of them shake hands and he adds, "I can't believe you let this idiot talk you into staying _here_." He points at Bass and then gives his tiny apartment an unimpressed look. Charlie giggles as Bass rolls his eyes.

"Shut up dick."

Nora groans. "Don't even start you two," she says, pointing at he and Miles. "We have a lot of work to do and the last thing we need are three kids running around instead of just one."

The mention of all the work that needs to be done is enough to cut the fun and bring them all back to business. Charlie gives Nora a hopeful look. "Do you really think you can do this?"

Nora smiles gently. "Well it's been a while since I worked in the family courts, but I know what I'm doing. Trust me, if there's a way, we'll find it."

"What are we looking for Mommy?" Tyler asks. All of the adults in the room look down at him, guilt flashing in Charlie's eyes.

"It's nothing honey, just grown up stuff." She says, running her fingers affectionately through his curly hair.

"But I can help," Tyler persists. "I'm a good helper!"

It pains Bass to see the kid getting so worked up about something he doesn't quite understand, but there isn't much he can do about it. Charlie appears just as stuck as he is until Nora steps in.

"I have an idea. Me and Miles passed a park on our way here, so why don't the boys go have some guy time and leave the girls here so we can chat." Tyler's face lights up at the mention of the park but then he frowns, apparently torn between playing and helping his mother.

"It's alright honey," Charlie says, patting her son's head. "You go have fun with the boys."

Then, amazingly, Tyler turns to Bass, his blue eyes looking up at him in question. It's like Bass can hear the little thoughts running through his brain, see the concern on his young face.

"It'll be fine, Tyler. Your mom and Nora will be safe here by themselves."

"Yeah, don't worry kid," Miles adds. "Nora may be small but she packs one hell of a punch."

Tyler crosses his arms over his tiny chest and glares up at Miles dissaprovingly. "Mommy said that's a bad word."

"OK, time to go." Bass announces before the argument can go any further. "Tyler get your shoes, we're going to the park."

While the boy runs into the bedroom for his shoes, Nora tosses her leather work bag up on the counter and starts rifling through it in search of something with Miles murmering in her ear. Bass notices Charlie's eyes roving curiously over his best friend's figure with a pang of jealousy. He clears his throat and her head whips in his direction, though her eyes are a bit unfocused.

"Everything OK?" He asks her quietly.

She nods her head slowly, her eyes flitting back over to Miles for a moment before settling fully on him. "Yeah, I was just... thinking about something."

"Care to share?"

"Uh, no." She answers with a chuckle. "It's kinda dumb."

Curiosity spiking, Bass moves closer to her and takes her hand. "Just tell me. I'm sure I've had stupider thoughts."

Her eyes flick in Miles' direction again as she struggles to find the words to express what she's thinking. "It's weird but... I don't know... He just reminds me of someone I used to know."

"Who? Miles?"

She nods her head slightly, as if she doesn't quite believe it herself, but doesn't get to explain further as Tyler comes bouncing back into the living room with his sneakers on. "OK, I'm ready to go now!" He announces to the room at large. The boy takes a look at Bass and Charlie's joined hands, and scowls. "I said I'm ready to go," he says even louder this time, his eyes on Bass.

Dropping Charlie's hand, Bass says, "Alright, alright. Miles lets get out of here before the kid has a heart attack."

Tyler permits his mother a quick kiss and gives Nora a sweet smile before all but dragging Bass out of the apartment, Miles chuckling in amusement the whole way. The park is only down the block but it takes them over ten minutes to get there because Tyler is sidetracked by a worm on the sidewalk.

"Cool! Look at it." He picks it up and waves it in Bass and Miles direction. They both recoil reflexively and Miles makes a disgusted face.

"Yeah, it's cool pal. Now put the worm down and let's go."

Bass chuckles at Miles impatience while Tyler ducks down to stick the worm in a pot of flowers. "There you go little buddy," he tells the worm happily. Bass smiles down at him fondly but his attention is torn away as a yellow Hummer comes flying down the street. He and Miles watch it round the corner at top speed, making Miles grumble under his breath.

"Man if we were back in Philly..." He lets the threat hang in the air as Bass shakes his head.

"Well we aren't, and Chicago is a little out of your jurisdiction so let it go."

"What does that mean?" Tyler asks, finally pulling his attention from the dirt.

Miles huffs impatiently as Bass begins to explain. "It means that even though Miles is a cop, he doesn't work for Chicago so he can't go chasing after criminals."

"Woah." Tyler looks up at Miles with excitement in his eyes. "You're a policeman!"

"Technically I'm a detective," Miles corrects him.

Tyler starts jumping up and down excitedly, barely able to contain his energy. "Do you have a gun? Do you shoot bad guys? Do you get to drive a police car? Can you take me for a ride with the lights on?"

Even Miles can't deny how cute the kid is and finally gives him a reluctant smile. "Sorry kid, Bass told you, I'm not a cop here so I can't take you for a ride."

"Oh. OK." The disappointment on his little face is heartbreaking and Bass hates to see him so upset.

"Hey buddy, come on, let's get to the park and I'll push you on the swing set."

When they finally make it to the park, Tyler bypasses the swing set altogether and heads straight for the jungle gym. Miles and Bass find an empty bench nearby and watch him flip around and hang upside-down. After being cooped up inside all day yesterday, the kid has a lot of energy to work off.

"He seems like a good kid," Miles admits after a few minutes. "And it helps that his mom is kind of hot, you know, minus all the bruising."

Bass can see Miles watching him for a reaction out of the corner of his eye and resists the urge to roll his eyes. "This has nothing to do with how she looks."

"Right. You're helping her purely out of the goodness of your heart."

"Is that so hard to believe?" Bass turns to look at him. "We took an oath, Miles. Doesn't that mean something to you?"

His best friend hesitates for a moment, clearly feeling torn. "Of course it does, but technically, you aren't a cop anymore. So why are you really doing this?"

"Technically," Bass repeats quietly, though he still feels like a cop on the inside. He doesn't know how to answer Miles' question. Even he isn't so sure why he's helping Charlie. Part of him feels good about simply helping people again, but the other part of him is battling with these strange feelings he has for her. As a detective, he'd worked all of his cases on a strictly professional level, finding himself irritated with those who couldn't do the same. Oh, how the tables have turned.

He's saved from having to find an actual answer when loud sirens and blue flashing lights fly by the park in the direction of the apartment building. Bass and Miles watch the squad car's progress until it's out of sight.

"Did you see that?" Tyler asks excitely as he throws himself at Bass, practically climbing in his lap. "Where do you think the police are going?"

"I don't know," Bass murmers, a sense of dread filling his gut. He looks over at Miles, who appears to find the whole thing boring, and says, "Do you think the girls are OK?"

"We've only been gone for twenty minutes. I'm sure they're fine."

"A lot can happen in twenty minutes though."

Tyler, who has stopped squirming around to listen to the older men, looks up at him worriedly. "Is Mommy OK?"

"Uh... Why don't we call her, just to make sure."

Bass ignores Miles scoffing and dials Charlie's number, feeling his heart drop into his stomach when it goes straight to voicemail.

"She's not answering," Bass says, trying to keep his voice level so he doesn't worry Tyler.

Miles worries at his bottom lip with his teeth, his eyes flicking in the direction of the building. "I'll call Nora."

They wait as the phone rings, and rings, and rings. Bass and Miles share a look over Tyler's head and rise to their feet at the same time.

"Where are we going?" Tyler asks, grabbing onto Bass' hand as the speed out of the park.

"We're just gonna go see what those police officers are up to and then we can come back. OK?"

The little boy nods and runs along beside him to keep up. Bass sneaks a glance over at Miles and he knows his best friend feels it too. Something is wrong.

The sirens have stopped, but the blue lights are still flashing brightly atop the police cruiser as they round the corner of the apartment building. Tyler stops short, letting go of Bass' hand. He turns around to see what the boy is up to, only to find his face scrunched into a frown.

"Daddy?" He says, his voice squeaking with fright.

"What?" Bass asks, his confusion with Tyler mixing with his concern for Charlie. "Kid what are you talking about?"

But his answer comes in the form of a single finger pointing across the parking lot. Bass follows his line of sight and spots the same yellow Hummer that he'd seen speeding down the street earlier.

"That's Daddy's car," Tyler says quietly.

There's barely a moment for Bass to process that information before two police officers burst out of the building's front doors, each of them holding onto an arm of a broad man with olive skin and dark hair.

"Get off of me! Do you have any idea who I am? I'll have your fucking badge for this!"

The man continues to struggle against the officer's hold until he looks up and sees Miles, Bass, and Tyler all staring at him.

"Tyler!" He shouts across the parking lot.

The boy's response is to grab onto Bass' leg and hide behind it. Bass twists so he can look down at the little boys face, his big blue eyes staring up at him, pleading. "Please don't make me go home."

* * *

A/N I didn't want to stop it here but a) I needed a good place to stop because otherwise the chapter would have been like 7000 words. Lol. And b) I wanted to get something posted today so I could feel like I accomplished something. :D Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing! Let me know what you think if you've got a second.


	8. Chapter 8

"Tyler!" Jason continues to struggle against the officer's holds, his face turning red with the effort as Tyler clings to Bass' leg. "Let me go, that's my son!" He yells. The officers falter, their eyes flicking from Jason to Tyler, and back to Jason.

"Sir, you need to calm down and get in the car." The female officer says.

"Are you kidding me? That's my son! They kidnapped my son!"

Miles and Bass looks at each other in shock. Neither of them had imagined that Charlie's abusive husband would be willing to go as far as accusing people of kidnapping. The male police officer pushes Jason front first against the squad car and cuffs his wrists behind his back while the female officer makes her way towards them. The name plate on her uniform says her name is Jenkins. The woman looks down at Tyler, who is still hiding behind Bass' leg, and back to Miles and Bass.

"Do you guys know that man?" She asks, pointing over to where her partner is holding Jason back.

Miles sighs in a frustrated way and pulls his own credentials from his back pocket. "Listen, we didn't kidnap any kids. The boy's mother is upstairs. Me and my buddy here were just taking him to the park."

The officer frowns at the ID in his hand, her eyes narrowed against the afternoon sun. "Detective Miles Matheson. A little far from home, don't you think?"

Before Miles can answer her question Jason breaks free of the other officer's hold and runs towards them. "Matheson! Oh I should have known she'd call you, the little bitch!"

"Halden get a hold on him!" Jenkins shouts to her partner, shoving Jason away from them while Tyler all but scales Bass' leg, somehow winding himself around him like a koala. Bass takes the hint and lifts the little boy off the ground, holding him close and letting him bury his face in his neck.

"It's alright buddy. Everything's gonna be OK," he murmers, rubbing the boy's back while he watches Halden and Jenkins wrestle Jason into the back of the car.

"No please! That's my son! They're lying!"

"Shut up and let us sort this out," Halden says calmly as he slams the car door shut in Jason's face. The two officers approach them again, making Tyler whimper and clutch tightly to Bass' shirt.

"Alright you guys have to tell us what's going on here. Is this that man's son?" Jenkins asks, her eyes on Tyler.

Bass sighs. "Well, technically yes. But Charlie left Jason and he's clearly not handling it well."

"And Charlie is Jason's wife?" Halden asks.

"Soon to be ex-wife," Bass corrects him through gritted teeth.

"OK, well we're going to have to talk to her. Just to make sure everything's OK here." Halden says.

"And to make sure you didn't actually kidnap anyone," Jenkins adds, a smile playing at her lips as she tries to diffuse some of the tension.

"She's upstairs with my girlfriend," Miles says, pulling out his phone so he can call Nora again. "I'll get them down here."

While they wait, Tyler cautiously peeks out from Bass' neck, his eyes settling on officers Halden and Jenkins. "Are you guys good cops?" He asks quietly.

Halden gives the boy a friendly smile. "'Course we are. We're the good guys."

Tyler perks up a little, enough to let Bass slide him back to ground, and approaches Halden slowly. "My Daddy isn't a good guy," he whispers.

Understanding dawns on the young officer and he nods at Tyler knowingly. "Don't worry about him, alright? That's why we're here."

Nodding, Tyler retreats back to Bass where he tucks his little fingers into his hand and holds on tight. The girls arrive moments later, Nora first, her eyes scanning the parking lot and landing on Jason locked in the patrol car before she even lets Charlie out of the building. She leads the younger girl across the parking lot with a gentle hand on her back and Bass can't help but notice the difference in her. The mere presence of Jason has turned Charlie into someone he almost doesn't recognize. Her face is drawn into a blank stare, her shoulders slumped forward as if she's already been defeated. She won't even meet his eyes.

Tyler waits until she's right in front of them, just a few feet away, and then grabs her hand with his empty one, pulling her towards him so he's squished between she and Bass. "It's alright little man," she murmers, running her fingers through his hair.

Officers Halden and Jenkins watch her carefully, their trained eyes assessing the obvious injuries on her face. Jenkins steps towards her slowly and says, "ma'am, this won't take long. I'd just like a minute alone to speak with you."

Charlie shoots Bass a sideways glance, finally giving him a glimpse of the fear running through her. "Don't worry. We'll be right here. I've got Tyler. Right buddy?" He asks, looking down at the boy.

Tyler gives his mother a toothy smile. "It's OK Mommy. He said they're good cops." He points to Halden happily, as if that solves everything, making Charlie smile.

"Well if you says so," she says with a forced laugh, bending down to kiss his cheek before letting Jenkins lead her away from the small group, even further from where Jason is locked in the car.

Miles clears his throat and looks straight at Nora. "Babe, over here." He jerks his head to the side and Nora follows him just out of earshot so they can have a private conversation, leaving Bass with Tyler and officer Halden. Bass watches Tyler bite his lip in deep concentration, his eyes on the police car that his dad is locked in.

"Is driving the police car fun?" He asks in small voice. Halden chuckles at the seemingly random question, having not already experienced the boy's love of policemen, but nods his head.

"Yeah, I've got the best job in the world."

"I wanna be a policeman when I grow up," Tyler tells him proudly.

Bass and Halden both laugh. "You'd make a good little cop," Bass tells him as Charlie and Jenkins rejoin the group. Charlie smiles at the comment, ruffling her son's hair.

"Yep, he's Mommy's little hero," she says.

"I'm not little," Tyler grumbles, looking up at her reproachfully.

They all laugh as Jenkins turns to her partner. "We're good here. Let's get _him_ back to the station." She jerks her head in the direction of the squad car and Halden nods. They head off towards their car, Tyler shouting goodbyes the whole way. But when Halden opens the driver's side door, Jason freaks out and starts banging his head against the backseat window, his murderous eyes on Charlie.

"Are you kidding me! Are you fucking kidding me! I'll kill you bitch! You hear me, you're dead!"

Charlie flinches at his words, her eyes once again filling with fear and worry. Bass wraps a comforting arm around her and pulls her close, whispering into her hair. "I won't let that happen. I promise." She nods and turns into his embrace, taking deep steady breaths against his neck, her entire body shaking against him.

Miles jogs over to the cruiser and has a quick word with Halden while Nora herds the rest of them back towards the apartment building and past the crowd of people that had gathered to watch the show. "Don't worry about all of them," Nora tells Charlie firmly. "Let's just get back inside."

Bass is hyper aware of Charlie's iron grip on his hand, the slight shaking of her shoulders, and the desperate panic starting to take over in her eyes. "Hey Nora, take Tyler upstairs with you. I need to talk to Charlie for a sec."

Tyler and Nora both look at them curiously, but Nora says nothing as she takes Tyler's hand and leads him upstairs. The boy doesn't protest either, though Bass notes the suspicious look on his little face as they round the corner. It isn't until they're out of sight that Charlie slumps against the railing, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Did you hear him? He said he's going to kill me and if there is one thing I know about Jason it's that he always follows through."

"I am not going to let that happen." Bass tilts her chin up to look at him, his heart swelling with something he hasn't felt in a long time when she smiles back.

"I believe you. I just..."

"It's hard to trust people. I know." He says.

Charlie leans up on her tip toes and presses a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth. Bass turns into her touch, their noses brushing as their breath mingles in the air.

"I trust you," she whispers.

"Ahem." Their moment is interrupted by Miles appearing at the bottom of the steps. "As soon as you two are done, I think we should probably discuss the fact that it's eleven o'clock and I haven't even had breakfast yet." He says amusedly. Charlie's face flushes a deep red, an adorable match to the pink around Bass' ears, making Miles chuckle. "Relax, guys, I was kidding." He jogs up the stairs past them and winks over at Charlie. "By all means, take your time."

Bass waits until his best friend is out of sight before dropping his head onto Charlie's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. My friend is an asshole."

Chuckling, Charlie kisses his cheek. "He's not so bad."

They walk hand in hand up to the apartment, finding Tyler and Miles deep in discussion about the difference between an officer and a detective while Nora watches on with a bored expression. Tyler looks up and spots their joined hands, his blue eyes narrowing in Bass' direction. Bass subtly drops Charlie's hand, noting the smirk on Miles' face as he does it.

"Well since Miles is dying of hunger why don't we just oder some pizza," Bass suggests with the hopes that Tyler will stop glaring at him. His prayers are answered when the little boy hops up from the couch excitedly.

"Yay, pizza! Can we get cheese, pretty please?"

"Cheese? That's it?" Miles asks disgustedly. "Come on kid, how 'bout some Hawaiian."

Tyler scrunches up his face in confusion. "I thought we were getting pizza."

Miles turns to Charlie incredulously. "Are you kidding me? What do you even feed this kid?"

Charlie frowns, putting her hands on her hips. "A healthy diet of fruits and vegetables."

Miles stares at her for a moment, then looks away sheepishly. "It's got pineapple on it," he mumbles.

"Ew. Pineapples are gross," Tyler says.

"You're gross," Miles mimics him, poking Tyler in the chest.

The boy giggles and shoves his shoulder. "Nuh uh, you are!"

While he dials the number for the pizza place, Bass looks at Charlie out of the corner of his eye. She's watching Miles and Tyler argue with a soft smile on her lips.

"Don't let Miles fool you," Bass tells her quietly. "He actually really likes kids."

She nods in agreement. "Clearly."

They order Tyler his very own cheese pizza, much to his delight, and Miles gets his Hawaiian, though he has no success in convincing Tyler to try it. Everyone eats their fill and Tyler wanders back over to the TV, getting lost in some kids program almost instantly. With everything that's happened in such a short amount of time, the adults are only just starting to realize how bad the situation actually is. None of them seem to want to bring it up, but they all know that they need to talk about Jason. Charlie seems so at ease that Bass is hesitant to bring him up, he doesn't want to make the day even worse for her than its already been.

Miles is the one who finally bursts their happy bubble, bringing up the one question that they've all been asking themselves. "So how long do you think it'll be before he comes back again?"

"If his lawyers are worth anything they'll have probably had him released already. Honestly I'm a little surprised we haven't seen him again already." Nora says.

Charlie shakes her head. "I'm not. He'll have gone straight to his parents house to tell Tom what happened. I'm sure they're sitting in his office drinking a bottle of scotch while they contemplate the best ways to get rid of me without losing Tyler too."

They all look at her in shock but Charlie just shrugs. "What? I've lived with him for five years, I know how he thinks."

Accepting that as a fact, they drop the subject. There's no use in wondering what he'll do when there are other things that need to be done. Bass and Miles clean up the dishes while the girls go into the bedroom to work on the divorce paperwork. Apparently, Jason had showed up not even ten minutes after they'd left for the park this morning.

"How do you think Jason found them so fast?" Bass murmers so only Miles can hear him. He doesn't want Tyler listening in.

"No idea. Tracked her phone, maybe." Miles suggests.

Bass shakes his head. "I tried to call her from the park but it went straight to voicemail, remember? Can't track it if it's turned off."

"Car maybe? The Neville's are connected, they could have had a cop buddy pull the GPS coordinates."

Bass sighs, thinking of Charlie's Range Rover in the parking lot outside. "Dammit. I should have thought of that. I should've moved her car somewhere else as soon as she got here." Miles simply shrugs. They both know there's no going back now. "Speaking of cop buddies, what did you say to Halden before they left?"

"I gave him my card and asked him to forward me a copy of his arrest report on Jason. You and I both know that his lawyers are gonna try to make this whole thing dissappear so I figured it'd be best to get a copy straight from the source. Plus, Nora said we might be able to use it to help get a restraining order."

With the dishes cleaned and put away, Miles and Bass stand side by side against the kitchen counter, both of them deep in thought. This situation has gotten more serious than either of them could have anticipated. Going up against the Neville's army of lawyers, Jason's death threats, and the possibility of Bass' identity being discovered... It feels like things have heated to a boiling point in a matter of hours.

Miles worries at his bottom lip with his teeth, his brows furrowed in concentration. "Did you hear what he said though?" He asks quietly. "He freaked out when heard my name. Said something about Charlie calling a Matheson."

Bass nods. He remembers Jason saying it after Miles had shown Jenkins his ID, he's just been too busy to think about it until now. "Yeah I thought that was weird too. You haven't dealt with the Neville's before have you?"

Miles shakes his head. "Not that I know of. I wonder what his problem with Matheson's is."

Charlie comes out of the bedroom right as he says it and scoffs, reaching for the cabinet to get a glass. "He's probably just trying to blame everything on my dad again," she says with a roll of her eyes. She turns on the faucet and fills her glass, not noticing the questioning looks on the boy's faces until after she takes a sip. "What?"

Bass frowns down at her. "What are you talking about Charlie?"

She chuckles, her face turning to confusion when she realizes neither of them are joking. "You asked what his Matheson problem is. Well, it's all of us really. But mostly my dad."

Miles shakes his head roughly. "Wait a minute, you are a Matheson?"

"Yes," she answers slowly, as if she thinks he's being dumb. "Neville is my married name."

"Oh my God." Bass closes his eyes and tilts his head up towards the ceiling.

"What's going on?" Charlie asks nervously.

Miles continues to stare at Charlie, his face uncomprehending. "You are Charlie Matheson."

"Yes," she says again, sounding irritated. "What the hell is wrong with you two? What's going on?"

"As in, the daughter of Ben Matheson," Miles adds.

Charlie takes a step back from them, her eyes growing scared. "How-how do you know that? Are you guys like stalkers or something? How do you know my dad?"

Miles lets out an incredulous laugh, his eyes wide with shock. "I know Ben because he's my brother."

* * *

A/N Oh boy, more drama! I'm starting to feel like this is soap opera, lol. Lots of thanks to you guys for reading and reviewing, I love hearing what you think! :-)


	9. Chapter 9

The seconds tick by with only the sounds from the TV for company. The emotions play across Charlie's face in quick succession. Shock, disbelief, recognition, understanding. Her blue eyes find his, and Bass finds himself wading through a sea of confusion. Miles is her uncle, she is Ben's daughter, he is their friend.

"That's why I thought you looked familiar," Charlie says softly, looking to Miles. "Because I know you."

Miles looks her over from head to toe, a hint of familiarity and guilt playing across his face. He shrugs it away and says, "It's been awhile. I definitely didn't recognize you, but I see it now. You look just like Rachel." They stare at each other, both uncle and niece seeming lost in the murky past they share.

"I haven't seen you since the funeral," Charlie finally says.

Miles bites the inside of his cheek and looks away from her guiltily. "Ben thought it would be... better that way. For you and Danny."

"Right. Because growing up without my mother _and_ my uncle made things so much better for me." Her voice is light, most likely so she won't disturb Tyler, but her face is full of long suppressed pain and anger. "One minute you were like my superhero and then the next you were just gone. Like you never even existed." A single tear slips down her cheek as Nora emerges from the bedroom, her face grave. She's clearly been listening the whole time and just didn't know how to join the conversation.

Miles looks between the two women awkwardly and says, "it was so much more complicated than that Charlie. I never meant to be gone for so long, I just..." His voice trails off and they fall into silence, the simulated laughter from Tyler's TV program mocking them in the background.

"It was hard for you," Charlie says into the silence. "I know about you and Mom. And I know it must have been hard on you, especially with Dad blaming you at the time, but that doesn't change the fact that you abandoned us. You abandoned me."

"H-How do you know about that?"

Charlie gives him a tight smile, her eyes unfocusing as she gets lost in the memory. "When I told Dad I was pregnant I expected him to be angry. Nobody wants to hear that their sixteen year old is pregnant, you know? But I wasn't prepared for how disappointed he would be. The look on his face was... awful. I felt so bad about it and was so on edge about the pregnancy that I couldn't sleep. I found Dad in his study that night, it's the only time I'd ever seen him drunk, and he told me everything. About you and Mom, and how she killed herself after you were shot and they thought you wouldn't live through the night. He told me that when you came to the funeral he was so angry and jealous that he just couldn't handle it, and he took it out on you."

"I deserved it," Miles says softly.

"No you didn't. My mother made her own choice, whether or not you factored into it is irrelevant. And I know my Dad regretted blaming you for it. He may not have come out and said it, but I know he did."

Miles sighs and looks away from all of them as Nora settles a comforting hand on his arm. His lips twitch into a reluctant smile and he reaches for her hand, giving it a long squeeze. "So where is Ben?" He asks, clearing his throat.

Bass turns to Charlie, wondering the same thing himself, and sees the pain in her eyes. "I-I think he and Maggie are still living in Seattle."

"Seattle? So what, they just left you here all alone with some crazy ass husband?" Miles says angrily. "Wait, who is Maggie?" He adds after a second.

"Maggie is his wife. They got married when I was nine. And no, they didn't just leave me." Charlie takes a deep unsteady breath, tears forming in her eyes. "I drove them away," she whispers.

Bass reaches a hand out to comfort her but she ignores it and buries her face in his chest instead. He gives Miles a grim smile over the top of her head but revels in the trust she's already put in him. The newfound connection between she and Miles might make things difficult, but he'll deal with that later. She needs him right now.

Dragging his mind back to the problem at hand, Bass rubs Charlie's back in soothing circles and whispers close to her ear. "It's OK, Charlie. Just tell us what happened."

She takes several deep breaths against his neck, her wet lashes fluttering against his skin before pulling away from him enough to look at everyone but where she's still trapped in his embrace. "Jason and his parents are... controlling. At first I didn't mind because it was just little stuff. Like, wear these shoes or shop at these stores. And I was OK with it because it was all designer stuff and I liked having a credit card with no limit. They gave me whatever I wanted so in turn, I thought I needed to respect their wishes...

"But then things started getting ridiculous. Jason was still in college at the time so while he was off at school I was home alone with a toddler. I was lonely, so I joined this Mommy & Me class. Julia didn't like that. She told Tom, Tom told Jason, and the next thing I know I get an angry phone call from my husband about letting our son hang around bad people."

Charlie shakes her head at herself and rests her cheek against Bass' chest. "I should've just left then. None of this would have happened if I had just left back then."

"You were still just a kid yourself, Charlie. Don't torture yourself with what-ifs," Nora says gently.

"So what happened with Ben?" Bass asks quietly, his lips pressed against the top of her head.

"We were getting ready for Tyler's second birthday. Ponies and clowns, the whole shebang. But while I was writing out the invitations, Jason _suggested_ that I leave Dad and Maggie off the list. When I asked him why, he just got uptight and told me to do as I was told." She pulls away from Bass and looks up at him with defiant eyes. "But I invited them anyway. I mean, they're my parents, Tyler's grandparents, I figured they deserved to be there." Bass nods in understanding, encouraging her to continue with his eyes.

"Julia was helping me plan the party and I guess she got a look at the guest list, because she told Tom and then Tom told Jason-"

"-And then Jason came to you," Bass finishes for her.

Charlie nods, her eyes filling with tears. "I'd never seen him so angry. He was so sweet when we were in school, that's how I ended up pregnant, but he changed. That was the first time he actually..."

"He hit you," Miles says for her.

Charlie closes her eyes as if she's reliving the memory and flinches when Bass moves to rub her shoulder. He quickly pulls away, afraid he's made a mistake, but she grabs his hand and gives him a small smile.

"He gave me a black eye. I called my dad and told him that we had to cancel the party because Jason had some big work thing come up and that I'd let him know when we rescheduled, but I never called him back. We went on with the party as planned, without my family, and I just wore a bunch of makeup to cover up the bruise."

"Why didn't you just tell Ben something was wrong Charlie? He would have helped you. I know he would have." Miles says.

"I couldn't... Or I didn't know how. Jason was so angry and I was scared. I didn't know what to do." Charlie makes a distressed sound in the back of her throat and Bass shoots Miles a reproachful look. She's already upset enough as it is, she doesn't need Miles grilling her like a suspect.

Tyler walks up being his mother and tugs on the back of her shirt. "Mommy what's wrong?"

Charlie swipes at her eyes and turns to face her son with a wide smile. "It's nothing baby. I'm just excited to see Miles again."

Tyler's blue eyes look curiously from Miles to his mother. "Why?"

Chuckling, Charlie brushes her fingers through his hair and says, "Because he's my uncle. He's your uncle too."

"I have an uncle?" He asks, confusion evident on his young face.

"Actually you have two uncles," Miles corrects him.

"Woah. I have _two_ uncles?" Tyler asks with wide eyes. "Wait, does that mean Uncle Miles can take me for a ride in the police car now?"

Bass and Miles both snort as Charlie rolls her eyes. "I don't think it works that way little man."

"Aww, come on!"

"Maybe someday I'll take you for a ride, OK kid?" Miles says.

Tyler jumps up and down excitedly. "Yay! Mommy I'm gonna ride in a police car!"

They eventually get Tyler settled down and even though he's too old for a nap, Charlie makes him lie down for a little while to rest. The adults sit around the crowded living room in a stunned sort of silence for what feels like hours, with Miles or Bass asking the occasional question and Charlie filling in the blanks. While she talks, Bass can't help but notice every little thing about her. The way she bites her lip when she's thinking or the way her eyes shine with pride when they talk about Tyler. The more he looks, the more beautiful she becomes.

He catches Miles watching him a few times and feels a pang of guilt. Things were already complicated enough when Charlie was a simple stranger, but her relation to Miles makes things even more complicated. One one hand, he really likes Charlie. They've grown so close in such a short period of time that it almost feels like it was always meant to be. But on the other hand, he has no idea how Miles will react if he actually pursues a relationship with his niece, estranged or not.

As the afternoon turns into evening, Tyler entertains himself with going through Bass' stuff. Charlie tires to stop him but Bass tells her to let him be. If they're going to live here, he wants them to feel at home. Nora is hard at work at the coffee table with her laptop, asking Charlie the occasional question so she can get her facts straight while Miles and Bass finally get the chance to catch up. They've been apart for over two months, that's the longest they've ever been away from each other, but they somehow run out of things to talk about pretty quickly.

"So... Charlie," Miles starts awkwardly as they roam the hallways of the building.

"Yeah. Charlie." Bass knows what his best friend is about to say before he even opens his mouth. He wants him to stay away from Charlie.

"What are the odds?" Miles asks with the hint of a smile.

"Huh?"

"I mean with you and Charlie. Of all the women and all the bars in Chicago, you just happen across my niece? What are the odds?"

"Yeah that's... kind of insane actually." They share a laugh, though it's a little forced, and theirs eyes meet, confusion and stubbornness clashing. Miles clears his throat.

"Look I know that you two are... well, I don't know what you are, but just be careful. She's been through a lot already."

Surprised, Bass looks at Miles with wide eyes. "You mean you're OK with this? Whatever this is between us?"

Miles shrugs. "You heard what she said. I abandoned her. I don't really have the right to say anything about what she does or doesn't do. Plus, I think she's had enough controlling family members to last her a lifetime. If she decides she wants to be with you, who am I to say no?"

Bass breathes a sigh of relief that Miles isn't going to fight against whatever they may share, but feels his heart going to war with what he knows in his mind. "I don't think she wants to be with anyone at the moment. Let's just let her be her for a while. Take it one day at time."

Miles cocks his head to the side and gives him a skeptical look. "I saw you two in the stairwell earlier. If I hadn't interrupted then..." He trails off with a grin.

"Oh, grow up Miles."

"Make me."

They head back to the apartment and find Tyler wearing Bass' old baseball glove and using a wad of paper like a baseball. "Uncle Miles, catch!" He throws the wad of paper at Miles but Bass sticks his hand out and snatches it from the air before it gets to him.

"Oh, too slow!"

"Hey gimme that," Miles says, reaching to grab the paper from his hand. Bass tosses it back to Tyler at the last second and the boy collapses into a fit of giggles when Miles comes after him to retrieve it. Bass settles himself next to Charlie on the couch while they watch Miles and Tyler wrestle over the wad of paper. She leans into him, resting her head on his shoulder with a smile on her face.

"You alright?" Bass asks her quietly.

She turns slightly to meet his eyes, an easiness there that he hasn't seen before. "Never better," she whispers.

Planting a kiss on her temple, they go back to watching the boys wrestle while Nora types away on her computer and a children's TV show plays along in the background.

* * *

The next morning comes much too early. Bass wakes up to the sound of the shower and peeks over the back of the couch, finding the bathroom door shut and Charlie missing from the bedroom. He flops back onto the couch with a groan and checks his phone. It's barely even seven and Tyler isn't even up yet. She must not have slept very well.

Deciding that he may as well get up too, Bass rolls off the couch and makes his way into the bedroom. There are clothes everywhere. Tiny t-shirts and spiderman underwear, bras and skinny jeans, all mixed with his own jeans and t-shirts. He chuckles at the mess and searches around for some sweats so he can start a pot of coffee.

When Charlie finally comes out of the bathroom it's in noting but a pair of tiny shorts and a tank top, her hair wrapped up in a towel. Bass swallows down the lump in his throat when she reaches past him for a cup and he can't help but notice the lack of a bra beneath her shirt.

"Everything OK?" She asks when she notices the strained look on his face.

Thankfully, he doesn't have to make a fool of himself by answering because someone knocks on the door. They share a questioning look before Bass heads to the door with Charlie at his heels.

A man in simple jeans and a t-shirt with a messenger bag over his shoulder stands in the doorway with a bored expression on his face. He looks over at Charlie and asks, "Are you Charlotte Neville?"

"Yes."

He whips a large manilla envelope from his bag and says, "You've been served."

Charlie takes the envelope with a trembling hand, her lips pursed as the man takes off down the hallway. She looks up at Bass worriedly. "It has to be Jason," she says.

Bass nods in agreement and shuts the door, following her back to the kitchen counter where she slits the envelope open and pours out a large stack of papers. She sifts through them with Bass hovering at her back, only catching a few words here and there until she gasps and steps back into him.

"What? What is it?" He looks down at the mass of papers uncomprehendingly and then over at her. "What's going on?"

"They're divorce papers," she says softly.

"OK... Isn't this what you wanted?" Bass asks gently.

"Yeah, but he-he wants full custody."


	10. Chapter 10

After the initial shock wears off, Bass carefully puts each piece of the divorce papers back into the envelope and turns to Charlie. She's leaning against the kitchen sink with tears leaking from the corners of her eyes and her arms wrapped around herself for support, completely lost in thought. He moves over to stand in front of her and drops his forehead onto hers.

"Hey." She sniffles and raises her eyes to meet his. "I won't let Jason take Tyler. No matter what happens."

"His lawyers..."

"I don't care about the lawyers Charlie. I don't care if we have to run away to Mexico, no one is taking your son."

Giving him a watery smile, Charlie reaches up to stroke his stubbled cheek. "Thank you," she whispers, pressing her lips gently against his own. Bass tenses, the urge to kiss her mixing with his fear of taking advantage. But her lips are soft and warm, tantalizing against his own, and he can't help himself. He leans into the kiss, letting his tongue slip out to trace her luscious lips. Charlie opens up without hesitation, her own tongue darting into his mouth greedily, licking it's way over his tongue and teeth in a slow, but heart-pounding search.

It's the best kiss he's had in years.

Bass let's her lead, threading one hand into her soft, blonde hair and settling the other just above her hip. Charlie continues to move though, her hands roving over his shoulders and chest, her fingers running through his curls, and her lips exploring, marking her territory.

Because that's what he is now. He is hers, for however long she'll have him.

His hands don't seem to have gotten the message about not pushing his luck, though, and they're already beneath the hem of her tank top before he breaks the kiss.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asks breathlessly.

Bass rubs a final circle over her hip with his thumb and pulls his hands from beneath her shirt. "Nothing. We should call Nora. She'll want to know about the papers."

Thankfully, Charlie accepts his poor excuse with nothing more than a raised eyebrow and heads into the bedroom to get dressed. Alone in the kitchen, Bass leans against the counter and takes a deep breath.

 _Calm down_ , he tells himself. _She isn't even divorced yet, you ass._

Then again, it's not like she was protesting.

He groans in defeat, her taste lingering on his lips even as he calls Miles and Nora to break the news. Nora's reaction is immediate. He can hear her mumbling sleepily in the background.

"Motherfuckers are quick. I didn't expect them to react so fast." She yawns loudly and Miles grunts, presumably as Nora crawls over him to get out of the bed. "Tell Charlie to get ready and I'll pick her up in twenty minutes. I want to get to the court house as soon as it opens."

"Don't worry, she's already on it."

Tyler comes stumbling sleepily out of the bedroom wearing one of Bass' old t-shirts as pajamas and nearly trips over the bottom of it as he walks.

"Where are we goin'?" He asks with a yawn. The little boy walks right to him and wraps his arms around his thighs and rests his head on his stomach. "I'm hungry." He mumbles against his shirt.

Charlie's giggle makes Bass look up from the boy wrapped around his legs. She's standing in the bedroom doorway with dark jeans on and a simple red blouse, watching the boys with a small smile on her face. Smiling himself, Bass ruffles Tyler's hair and reaches for the refrigerator. "Well let's find us something to eat then."

They manage to get some scrambled eggs and toast on the table and Bass even coaxes a few bites out of Charlie before Miles arrives and lets her know that Nora is outside waiting.

"Where are you going Mommy?" Tyler asks urgently, attempting to follow her out of the apartment while tripping over his pj's and still munching on his toast.

Miles scoops the boy up before he even makes it to Charlie and waves her off. "Go. Me and Bass have this under control."

There's a moment where Miles and Charlie's eyes meet and the fleeting glimpses of their silent conversation is more than enough for Bass to interpret. Charlie's not used to having people she can trust to watch her son, but she's trying to trust Miles and he's trying to earn it.

"OK," she says softly, walking over to drop a kiss on Tyler's head. "Be good for Uncle Miles, alright?" She waits for Tyler to nod in understanding before rushing out the door. Miles drops Tyler back in his seat and takes Charlie's vacated one, finishing her uneaten breakfast in a matter of bites.

"You got anymore?" He asks around a mouth full of food?

The remainder of the morning passes slowly with the occasional text from Nora with an update. She and Charlie are filing an opposition with the court to oppose Jason's claims that Charlie is an unfit mother and they're also requesting that he pay some form of spousal support. Having never been through a divorce himself, Bass isn't really sure what any of that actually means.

Tyler gets bored with the TV around mid morning, so they decide to take him to the park again with the hopes that he'll need a nap after. It's the middle of the week so there aren't many people around and all is quiet while Tyler runs from swing to swing, to the monkey bars, down the slide, and back to the monkey bars. The silence presses in around Bass, bringing up all of the problems he's been trying to avoid.

"I'm worried Miles."

"About what?"

"Charlie and Tyler for starters."

Miles looks over his face with calculating eyes, his confusion evident. "Why?"

"I have to work tonight," Bass says simply. "And I won't be home until after eleven o'clock, which means they're going to be by themselves. I mean what if Jason decides to drop by and I'm not home?"

"Relax Bass, me and Nora can hang out at the apartment until you get home. You know I'm not just going to leave her. Not again."

"I know... But it's not just that."

"What do you mean?"

Bass shakes his head at himself, knowing exactly how stupid he's about to sound. "What if... What if I can't protect them?"

Miles' eyebrows shoot high up on his forehead, but he seems to sense that this isn't the time to go poking fun at him. "From Jason? Yeah, sure the guy is big, but you're stronger and definitely smarter. You can take him."

Fear and self-doubt, mixed with that ever present guilt tugs as Bass' mind. "But what if you're wrong?" He doesn't give Miles the chance to contradict him. "I need a gun Miles."

Sitting back in his seat, Miles gives him a strange look. "Well where is yours?"

Bass swallows down the lump in his throat at the mere mention of the deadly weapon and looks to Tyler as a reminder of why he needs it. "I pawned them. Back in Philly."

"All of them?" Miles asks incredulously.

"Yeah Miles. All of them."

"But why?"

Anger suddenly courses through him. "You know why," Bass growls. "I didn't want them in my house after..." He stops to take a deep breath and repeats, "You know why."

"Bass," Miles says gently.

"And now I can't buy a gun because if they run a background check on Sebastian Miller they're going to realize that he doesn't exist. So I need you to get me a gun. OK?"

Miles bites his lip hesitantly, his eyes filled with concern. "Have you considered just putting Sebastian Miller to bed and letting Bass Monroe come back to life?"

Bass shakes his head roughly. "I can't."

"Why not?" Miles persists. "It was over a year ago Bass. You can't hide forever. You need to move on."

"How can I?" Bass asks, his voice pitching into a shriek. "How do I move on knowing that he _never_ will? Huh? You tell me Miles and I swear to you I will do it."

Miles sighs heavily. "It was an accident Bass. No one blames you."

"Tell that to Andrea Fulton," Bass hisses in Miles' direction before getting up from the bench and stomping away from his friend. He's so set on getting as far from Miles as possible, that Bass doesn't even notice his tail until Tyler grabs onto his hand and tugs on it insistently.

"Where are we going?" He asks innocently.

A reluctant smile pulls at the corner of Bass' lips and he squeezes Tyler's little hand. "No where buddy, I just wanted to walk. OK?"

Tyler nods, his blue eyes searching Bass' face seriously. "Why are you mad at Uncle Miles?"

Bass sighs. "I'm not. I just... got upset, that's all."

"Mommy always eats ice cream when she's sad," Tyler says knowingly. Bass laughs when the boy then points to an ice cream truck parked on the corner.

"Hmm. You're a smart little kid, aren't you?" Bass asks with a grin. Tyler's only response is a giggle.

Bass gets a sherbert popsicle and Tyler gets some ugly thing that was supposed to be shaped like SpongeBob SquarePants. Miles shows up a few steps behind them and gets the same thing as Tyler, hovering by Bass' shoulder while he waits for the man to hand it over.

"I'm sorry," he murmers.

Bass nods. He is too.

If he could have things his way, none of this would even be necessary, but there's nothing he can do. You can't change the past.

Tyler skips along ahead of them on the way back to the apartment, though both both boys keep a close on eye on him as they walk behind.

"Does Charlie know?" Miles asks curiously.

Bass shakes his head. "No I haven't told her."

"Are you going to?"

"I don't know. Why?"

Miles blows out a log breath, tossing his popsicle stick in a trash can before turning to face Bass. "I know that I said it's none of my business what she does or who she does it with, but she's still my niece. You can't lie to her forever."

"I'm not lying-"

"-You're just withholding the truth. I know." Miles finishes for him. They walk silently for a moment before he adds, "Nora would argue that those are the same thing."

"Nora argues about everything," Bass grumbles.

Miles snorts. "Well it is her job."

They let the subject drop as they ascend the stairs to the apartment because Tyler insists that they go first so he can count how many stairs there are. Bass is glad for it. Miles may be right about withholding the truth, but that doesn't mean he's ready to tell Charlie about what happened. Other than the occasional slip with Miles or Nora and the mandatory visits with a shrink, he hasn't talked about it with anyone. It's not that he doesn't trust her, he just isn't ready to have Charlie look at him like _that_. The same way people were looking at him for months before he skipped town.

Though deep down, Bass knows she wouldn't.

Tyler pushes past him into the apartment to run into his mother's arms as if he hasn't seen her in years and kisses her softly on the cheek. "I missed you Mommy."

Her smile in return is genuine, but he can't help but notice the puffiness around her eyes as if she's been crying again. After Nora calls Tyler to the table for lunch, Bass grabs Charlie's hand and pulls her aside into the kitchen.

"Everything OK?" He asks quietly.

Charlie shakes her head, fresh tears forming in her eyes. "They took the car." When Bass only looks confused, she explains. "The Range Rover, it's in Jason's name so they took it."

Bass wraps his arms around her and pulls her close, whispering into her hair. "Don't worry about the car Charlie. We'll figure it out."

She nods against his chest, her breathing evening out against his neck. "I know it's stupid. It's just a car. But I know that this is just the beginning. They've already cut my access to bank accounts and canceled credit cards. I'm a single mother with no job, no home, no car, and literally thirty-seven dollars to my name."

Taking her face in his hands, Bass looks into her red rimmed eyes and feels an unfamiliar protectiveness come over him. "You have a home, here. You can get a job. You don't need a car. And I have money. Not a lot, not like you're used too. But we can make this work."

Charlie closes her eyes, letting out a long breath. "I feel like such an idiot," she whispers. "I can't even take care of myself, nonetheless my son."

"Hey, stop that. You are a good mother and Tyler adores you. You had the guts to walk away from the only home you had and took the chance that a stanger would be able to help. I wish that I were as brave as you."

A smile tugs a Charlie's lips and she kisses his cheek, her eyes shining. "You let a woman you didn't know and a five year old take over your apartment. That was pretty brave."

Bass chuckles as she turns to join the the others at the table, catching Miles looking at him from across the room with a raised eyebrow. He doesn't say anything, but the meaning is pretty clear.

 _Maybe you should try being brave enough to tell the truth._

* * *

A/N I'm sorry that my chapters have been so short and and spaced out lately. I recently took up a little part time job on the side and it's been taking up more of my time than I thought it would and I've just been exhausted all the time. I'm hoping things will mellow out soon so I can take nap and stop feeling like a zombie. Also, I blame any terrible mistakes in this chapter on the zombiness. ;)


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